TRANSPORT

Cycleways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the length in kilometres of cycle lanes in England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: We have only received details of new cycle lanes and cycle tracks from local highway authorities since 2001-02 when the Local Transport Plan reports began. However, this information is not complete as more recently provision of this information is not mandatory from authorities rated "good" and "excellent".
	Local authorities outside London have reported through their Local Transport Plans they have built the following number of new cycle lanes since 2001/02.
	
		
			   Cycle Lane (km) 
			 2001-02 405 
			 2002-03 369 
			 2003-04 386 
			 2004-05 308 
			 2005-06 234 
			 2006-07 140 
		
	
	Similar figures are not available for London Boroughs but Transport for London report that around 550 km of the London Cycle Network+ were completed by April 2007 with a target of 900km due for completion by the end of 2010.

Departmental Internet

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) cost and  (b) revenue raised has been of the www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk website.

Jim Fitzpatrick: www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk was set up in 1998. The initial set-up cost was £30,000. Annual running costs for the latest two years are as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2005-06 83.7 
			 2006-07 77.8 
		
	
	No revenue is raised from the website. It is not a commercial site but is used by the public to ascertain the registration marks available for sale.

Departmental Public Consultations

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opinion polls the Department has conducted of  (a) the public and  (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Opinion polls of the public and staff undertaken by the Department since 27 June 2007 are summarised in the tables. These include ongoing surveys (table A) with fieldwork running both before and after 27 June 2007, and ad-hoc surveys (table B) that were conducted after 27 June 2007.
	A staff survey has been undertaken by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) (table C). There have been no other staff surveys conducted since 27 June 2007 in the Central Department or other agencies. However, this does not include smaller scale staff surveys (e.g. within specific directorates rather than across the whole Department) and to collect this information would be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  (A) Ongoing Surveys 
			  Division/ Agency  Survey/opinion poll  (i) Firm  (ii) Purpose  (iii) Cost (per annum) (£) 
			 DfT-ST British social attitudes survey NatCen Measure attitudes towards transport as well as other non-transport policy areas 80,000 
			 DfT-ST Bus passenger satisfaction survey GfK NOP Measure satisfaction with local bus services 250,000 
			 DfT-ST Public attitude towards road pricing ONS Measure attitudes towards road pricing 77,136 
			 DfT-ST Public attitude towards climate change ONS Measure attitudes towards climate change 51,284 
			 DfT-CD THINK! Tracking Research BMRB Measure attitudes towards THINK campaign 358,474 
			 DfT-CD THINK! Seatbelts TRL Measure attitudes towards THINK Seatbelts campaign (1)179,581 
			 DfT-CD CC Post advertising tracking BMRB Measure attitudes towards climate change campaign 35,750 
			 DfT -TLLS Directgov motoring awareness and usage omnibus BMRB Measuring attitudes towards Directgov 14,000 
			 DfT- TLLS Consumer customers' channel choice TNS Measuring customer attitude towards channel choice 48,000 
			 HA National road users satisfaction surveys Faber Maunsell Includes a number of surveys and qualitative research to measure satisfaction with HA services (1)530,000 
			 HA Area road users satisfaction surveys Faber Maunsell Includes a number of surveys and qualitative research to measure satisfaction with HA services (1)540,000 
			 HA Satisfaction with traffic officer service Faber Maunsell Measure satisfaction of the traffic officer service 20,000 
			 HA Measuring improvements in network and information services Faber Maunsell Measure satisfaction of network and information services 60,000 
			 Total2,244,225 
			 (1) Includes qualitative research. 
		
	
	
		
			  (B) Ad-hoc surveys 
			  Division/ Agency  Survey/opinion poll  (i) Firm  (ii) Purpose  (iii) Cost  (£) 
			 DfT-ST Public attitude towards car sharing NatCen Measure attitudes towards car sharing 38,250 
			 DfT-ST Public attitude towards buses and concessionary fares ONS Measuring attitude towards buses and concessionary fares 43,164 
			 DfT-CD Post tracking Teen MTV Campaign SMRC Childwise Measure awareness of road safety MTV campaign 27,613 
			 DfT-CD Pre and post tracking Parents' Campaign SMRC Childwise Measure awareness of road safety Parents campaign 42,770 
			 DfT-CD THINK! Parents Campaign Virtual surveys Measure attitudes towards THINK Parents campaign 10,000 
			 DfT- TLLS Customers expectations of service standards ORC Measuring customer attitudes towards service standards 60,000 
			 HA Satisfaction with traffic management trial at junctions 19 and 12 of M25 Faber Maunsell Measures satisfaction with novell road layouts at these locations 47,000 
			 HA Evaluation of "Think ahead, Move ahead" booklet Faber Maunsell Measure attitude towards booklet 14,000 
			 Total282,797 
		
	
	
		
			  (C) Staff surveys 
			  Division/ Agency  Survey/opinion poll  (i ) Firm  (ii) Purpose  (iii) Cost (£) 
			 VOSA Staff survey ORC Measure areas of organisational development 13,000 
			 Total13,000

Driving Tests: Standards

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of driving test applicants have been successful at their first attempt at  (a) the driving theory test and  (b) the practical test in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The most recent data are as follows. The data for all test categories are included.
	
		
			  Practical driving test 
			   Number/percentage 
			  1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005  
			 Total number of applicants 1,094,395 
			 Those passing on first attempt 434,480 
			 Proportion (percentage) 39.7 
			   
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006  
			 Total number of applicants 1,151,138 
			 Those passing on first attempt 388,281 
			 Proportion (percentage) 33.7 
			   
			  1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007  
			 Total number of applicants 1,129,140 
			 Those passing on first attempt 383,285 
			 Proportion (percentage) 33.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Theory driving test 
			   Number/percentage 
			  1 September 2004 to 31 March 2005  
			 Total number of applicants 583,827 
			 Those passing on first attempt 406,774 
			 Proportion (percentage) 69.7 
			   
			  1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006  
			 Total number of applicants 1,095,643 
			 Those passing on first attempt 797,517 
			 Proportion (percentage) 72.8 
			   
			  1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007  
			 Total number of applicants 1,109,366 
			 Those passing on first attempt 776,366 
			 Proportion (percentage) 70.0

Fuels: Prices

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the price of fuel is not always displayed on motorway service station signs that are visible from the motorway.

Tom Harris: The display of fuel prices, historically on the half-mile approach sign, is a voluntary practice on the part of the operators.
	Some time ago several motorway service area operators ceased this practice, citing the high costs involved in keeping the information accurate by the constant alteration of signs, which is necessary in an environment of ever changing fuel prices, and the safety issues involved in accessing the signs.

Galileo

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation criteria have to be satisfied before the Galileo system may be judged successful; and what criteria have to be satisfied before the programme is expanded.

Rosie Winterton: The main characteristics of Galileo were agreed by European Transport Ministers at their meeting on 9-10 December 2004. Full operational capability of the system will be achieved when the planned constellation of 30 satellites is in operation and the technical performance and stability of the system has met the mission and performance requirements.
	Any decisions on the potential expansion of Galileo can only be taken once the system is operational and we expect these decisions to be taken on the basis of detailed technical, commercial, financial and programmatic studies.

Gospel Oak-Barking Railway Line

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Network Rail and Transport for London on the possible electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak line.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport received representations and a detailed business case from Transport for London in 2006 regarding a proposal to electrify the Gospel Oak to Barking route. The proposal sought departmental funding for the scheme.
	The proposal was rejected by the Department because it was not considered that a robust case could be made for the scheme.

Highways Agency: Telephone Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue was received from the calls to the Highways Agency's  (a) automated traffic information line and  (b) enquiry line in each of the last five years; how many telephone calls were made to the (i) automated traffic information line and (ii) enquiry line in each year; what the average call time was to the (A) automated traffic information line and (B) enquiry line in each year; and how much was spent on (1) staffing costs, (2) call centre facilities and (3) consultancy fees on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency customer services telephone line in each year.

Tom Harris: The information is as follows:
	 Traffic England Telephone Service (Interactive Voice Recognition - IVR)
	The Highways Agency's Traffic England IVR service is operated by Traffic information Services as part of a wider PFI contract for the National Traffic Control Centre. The Agency does not receive any revenue from this service.
	The service commenced in March 2005. The average call time is not available.
	
		
			  Number of calls 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 600 
			 2005-06 45,852 
			 2006-07 91,801 
		
	
	 Highways Agency Information Line (HAIL)
	The Highways Agency does not receive any revenue from this service.
	
		
			  Number of calls received 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 66,737 
			 2003-04 65,687 
			 2004-05 75,079 
			 2005-06 78,138 
			 2006-07 110,477 
		
	
	
		
			  Average call time 
			   Call time 
			 2002 — 2005 n/a 
			 2005-06 2 min 39 secs 
			 2006-07 2 min 57 secs 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	 DVLA
	Consultancy expenditure on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency customer services telephone line for the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 3,010 
			 2004-05 3,495 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 7,895 
		
	
	Customer services staffing costs for the past five years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 8,550,598 
			 2003-04 11,288,752 
			 2004-05 11,990,204 
			 2005-06 13,667,422 
			 2006-07 15,465,682

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes she proposes to the system of clamping of untaxed vehicles; whether such changes will include untaxed vehicles parked on private land; what safeguards there will be to protect vehicles in the process of repair or restorations for road use; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Chancellor announced in his pre-Budget report additional measures to assist in the fight against Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion. VED enforcement powers are to be strengthened to include motorists driving unlicensed vehicles and parking in areas where enforcement is not currently permitted. Therefore in addition to public roads, from 1 September 2008, VED enforcement will extend to unlicensed vehicles in public places where a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) has not been made. Therefore, there will be no adverse effect of this change for the keepers of vehicles in the process of repair or restoration.

Level Crossings: Death

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been killed on pedestrian rail level crossings in each of the last three years.

Tom Harris: Level crossings are categorised as vehicular or footpath crossings. The following table lists fatalities at footpath crossings. Suicides and trespassers are excluded. The figure for 2006 is provisional because coroners' inquests have yet to be concluded.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 4

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with  (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency,  (b) drivers' representative groups and  (c) the motor industry on the possible deregulation of MOT fees.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Officials have had preliminary discussions about different options for setting MOT test fees with representatives of the MOT trade at industry liaison meetings. Other interested parties will have an opportunity to present their views on the idea of deregulating MOT fees and other options when the wider consultation on the MOT scheme is launched in the next few months.

Motorways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to allow vehicles to use the hard shoulder of the M1 motorway; and on what stretches.

Tom Harris: Following the success of the trial of Active Traffic Management Techniques on the M42, including use of the hard shoulder, the Secretary of State announced on 25 October a study into the feasibility, costs and benefits of extending these and other advanced signalling and traffic management techniques more widely across the motorway network.
	The Terms of Reference for the feasibility study were published to Parliament through a written ministerial statement on 25 October 2007. Decisions on where these techniques may be applied in the future will be taken after the study has reported.

Official Hospitality: Highways Agency

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records the Highways Agency maintains of its expenditure on official hospitality; how the Agency accounts for that expenditure in each financial year; for what reason the Agency was not able to provide this information for the last 12 months without incurring disproportionate cost, with reference to the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1299W, on Departments: official hospitality; and if she will ensure that the Agency maintains records in the future to enable it to provide figures for total expenditure on official hospitality.

Tom Harris: The Agency does record its expenditure on official hospitality relating to its administrative activity, for example provision of working lunches to external visitors to Highways Agency premises. The recorded Agency spend for the last financial year and this financial year to date is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Highways Agency spend on official hospitality (admin) 
			   £ 
			 2006-07 39,150 
			 2007-08 to 31 October 24,996 
		
	
	However, most Highways Agency expenditure on hospitality is incurred as part of its programme activity, for example at road opening ceremonies, public exhibitions, etc. This is expenditure that can not be extracted from the rest of the Agency's spend on managing and operating the road network, without incurring disproportionate cost.

Public Transport: Disabled

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on improving access to public transport for disabled people; and what estimate she has made of what Government expenditure on concessionary bus passes for disabled people will be in 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: I receive correspondence from stakeholders and meet a range of these on a regular basis to discuss various issues around improving access to public transport for disabled people.
	The Government set a statutory minimum bus concession for eligible disabled people, and those aged 60 or over. However concessionary fares schemes are administered by local authorities and they can vary at the local level to include more generous concessions. Funding for the statutory concession is provided by central Government to local authorities but there is no separately identified funding stream for the disabled element of the statutory concession.

Railways

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals for new railway rolling stock prior to the end of 2007.

Tom Harris: As set out in the White Paper, the department will publish a Rolling Stock plan by January 2008 setting out in more detail how Rolling Stock will be used to deliver the increased capacity.

Railways

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what definition her Department uses of an express railway.

Tom Harris: Railways such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, intended primarily or exclusively for use by high speed passenger trains, are normally referred to as high speed lines. I am not aware that the term "express railway" is in general use.

Roads: Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the different levels of funding for highways in England and areas where responsibility for highway maintenance has been devolved.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport has made no assessment of the different levels of funding for highway maintenance in England and the devolved Administrations. Decisions on the levels of funding to be allocated to highway maintenance are for the administrations of each of the countries concerned, taking into account their overall priorities and objectives.
	The Department does, through the UK Roads Liaison Group, have arrangements for sharing best practice advice with transport authorities in the devolved Administrations, including securing best value for the funding available.

Roads: Safety Measures

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what central Government funding was provided for road safety measures in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and  (c) England in each year since 1979;
	(2)  what central Government funding was provided for road safety awareness in schools in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and  (c) England in each year since 1979.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have provided specific road safety grants for road safety partnerships of £1.098 million for Cornwall and £107.795 million across England in 2007-08. The grants replaced a scheme, in operation from 2000-01 to 2006-07, for the local use of income generated by safety camera partnerships.
	Since 2000-01, Central Government have provided capital funding support for local authorities to invest in road safety within the integrated transport block, which can be used for a wide range of investment in transport according to local authorities' policies and priorities. Typically local authorities spend about one fifth of their integrated transport block on road safety projects. Prior to 2000-01 funding specifically for investment in road safety was provided by central Government. The figures for Cornwall and England (excluding London from 2001-02) are shown in tables 1 and 2, as far back as 1991-92.
	The funding is provided to the county council for the whole of its area and it is for the county council to determine distribution between local areas. Figures before 1991-92 cannot be made available except at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: integrated transport block 
			  £ million 
			   Cornwall  England 
			 2000-01 2.957 250 
			 2001-02 5.496 543 
			 2002-03 5.915 565 
			 2003-04 5.820 612 
			 2004-05 7.073 658 
			 2005-06 8.299 553 
			 2006-07 10.662 547 
			 2007-08 10.114 571 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: funding for local safety schemes 
			  £ million 
			   Cornwall  England 
			 1991-92 0.250 31 
			 1992-93 0.390 43 
			 1993-94 0.390 50 
			 1994-95 0.369 50 
			 1995-96 0.590 50 
			 1996-97 0.609 55 
			 1997-98 0.575 60 
			 1998-99 0.494 50 
			 1999/2000 0.922 60 
		
	
	In addition local authorities receive revenue support for road safety services via formula grants such as revenue support grant, which they may use at their discretion on initiatives such as the promotion of road safety awareness, education or publicity in schools. The Department for Transport also supplies publicity and education materials to local authorities and schools on request, free of charge.
	The Government have also provided some smaller grants to local authorities, for example for road safety demonstration projects, although none in Cornwall. The Government directly fund road safety measures on trunk roads, although this funding cannot be disaggregated to county level.

WALES

Housing

Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on available and affordable housing in Wales.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government, including on housing issues.

Domestic and Work-place Abuse

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings he has had with Ministers in  (a) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (b) the UK Government to discuss domestic abuse and abuse in the workplace.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend and I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Government, on a wide range of subjects, including domestic abuse and abuse in the workplace.

Economy: North-east Wales

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the contribution of North East Wales to the UK economy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: North-east Wales has the fastest growing economic area in the UK. It has seen faster growth in the economy than south-east England over the past 20 years

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the Comprehensive Spending Review settlements for the Welsh Assembly Government and Wales Office.

Peter Hain: I had constructive discussions with the Chief Secretary during the Comprehensive Spending Review process, which delivered a positive package for Wales giving both the Welsh Assembly Government and the Wales Office the resources to deliver on policy priorities.

Tidal Energy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the development of electricity generated from tidal energy in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend. I look forward to meeting him, and other ministerial colleagues, to discuss the exciting proposals for a Severn barrage.

Defence Training Programme: RAF St. Athan

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Ministry of Defence over the time taken to implement the defence training programme at RAF St. Athan.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions on a range of defence issues.
	I welcome the progress made so far on delivering an excellent package that meets our defence training needs. Work is expected to begin at St. Athan as early as 2009.

Departmental Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of inquiries received by his Department from the public were responded to within  (a) one week,  (b) 14 days,  (c) 28 days,  (d) two months and  (e) three months in the last period for which figures are available; and in what percentage of cases it took (i) over three months and (ii) over one year to respond.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not record information in this format, this could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Performance information can be found in the Wales Office 2007 Annual Report.
	http://www.walesoffice.gov.uk/2007/AnnualReport2007.pdf

Departmental Flexible Working

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff  (a) have applied to work flexible hours and  (b) work flexible hours (i) in the Department and (ii) the executive agencies for which the Department is responsible.

Peter Hain: The vast majority of Wales Office staff work on a flexi-time basis, and do not have to apply to work on this basis. Furthermore, several staff work on a compressed hours or part-time basis.
	The Wales Office does not have any executive agencies.

Departmental Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) lamb,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his departmental headquarters were imported products in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: None.
	The Wales Office does not have catering facilities.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the office costs for his Department's special advisers for 2007-08 are expected to be, including costs of support staff; and how many full-time equivalent civil servants work in support of such special advisers.

Peter Hain: Salary details for the Wales Office's special advisers were published in my answer of Monday, 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 451W.
	Other office costs are not available by individual staff member, and obtaining this information could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	Wales Office special advisers do not have any support staff, and no civil servants work in support of them.

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what entertainment or hospitality members of his Department's management board have received in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Nil.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the increase in the Wales Office budget is intended to meet  (a) administrative costs arising from the new arrangements for liaising with the Welsh Assembly Government to draft legislation relevant to Wales and  (b) refurbishment of Gwydyr House in Whitehall.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office's settlement provides £18.8 million over three years, which amounts to just over £6 million per year to meet the increased demands on the Office. This is around £1 million a year more than the expected out-turn for 2007-08.
	It is not possible to detail precisely what proportion of this relates to liaison with the Welsh Assembly Government on legislation. The settlement does not include any planned expenditure on the possible refurbishment of Gwydyr House.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department and its agencies spent on managing their corporate identities in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: Nil.

Departmental Repairs and Maintenance

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on renovation and refurbishment of its properties in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: In the last five years the Wales Office has not undertaken any renovation or refurbishment projects, only necessary maintenance and office upkeep as a result of recommendations from external accommodation reports.

Departmental Repairs and Maintenance

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of expenditure on renovation and refurbishment of his Department's properties in the next 12 months.

Peter Hain: None. There are no plans for the Wales Office to undertake any renovation or refurbishment in the next 12 months.

Departmental Standards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish his Department's autumn performance report.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not publish an autumn performance report.
	My Department publishes a Departmental Annual Report each year, as per HM Treasury timetable. The 2008 report will be published around May 2008.

Opinion Leader Research

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Opinion Leader Research in each year since 1997; and what was  (a) the title and purpose,  (b) the cost to the public purse and  (c) the dates of (i) tender, (ii) award, (iii) operation and (iv) completion and report to the Department in each case.

Peter Hain: None.

Public Expenditure

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he had with ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury on the Comprehensive Spending Review settlements for the  (a) Welsh Assembly Government and  (b) Wales Office.

Peter Hain: I had constructive discussions with the chief secretary during the Comprehensive Spending Review process, which delivered a positive package for Wales giving both the Welsh Assembly Government and the Wales Office the resources to deliver on policy priorities.

Remploy

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Remploy on the future of its factories in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with Remploy on its modernisation proposals.
	We received the company's final modernisation proposals on 12 November.
	Fewer factories are proposed for closure than in the company's original plan. The plants in Aberdare, Bridgend, Abertillery and Wrexham are now proposed to remain open while Brynamman and Ystradgynlais plants remain proposed to merge at new site in Neath.
	I am currently considering the company's proposals, and I will make a statement to the House in due course. As I pledged in September, there will be no factory closures without ministerial agreement.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what support is available for  (a) Peterborough City Council and  (b) other local authorities in Cambridgeshire to develop their strategies and policies in relation to the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Local Government Association is supporting local authorities across the UK in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. In addition the Nations and Regions Group, chaired by Charles Allen, coordinates legacy benefits planning across the UK, including in the East of England.
	The East of England regional structure has also been reorganised to support the 2012 regional business plan more effectively. The Nations and Regions East (NRE) board has representation from each of the six county areas, which includes councils and the four unitary authorities. NRE is chaired by Cllr Stephen Castle, who is the regional representative on the Nations and Regions Group. Below the Nations and Regions East board is a partnership executive group which includes representation from Peterborough city council and Cambridge county council. Its role is to provide additional support to county level working groups to take forward relevant and appropriate activity to maximise the benefits from 2012.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Administration

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total value of the House of Commons Administration Estimate was in each year since 1978.

Nick Harvey: Only cash-based figures are available for the years prior to 2001-02. Unlike resource-based figures, these are not comparable over the period. The cash figures are as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 1978-79 17,480 
			 1979-80 10,737 
			 1980-81 12,139 
			 1981-82 13,827 
			 1982-83 15,087 
			 1983-84 15,480 
			 1984-85 17,143 
			 1985-86 20,705 
			 1986-87 21,087 
			 1987-88 23,046 
			 1988-89 25,657 
			 1989-90 29,521 
			 1990-91 33,884 
			 1991-92 40,191 
			 1992-93 61,556 
			 1993-94 64,702 
			 1994-95 64,856 
			 1995-96 68,190 
			 1996-97 68,290 
			 1997-98 72,879 
			 1998-99 81,150 
			 1999-2000 81,649 
			 2000-01 159,997 
			 2001-02 132,508 
			 2002-03 138,328 
			 2003-04 140,160 
			 2004-05 143,661 
			 2005-06 148,888 
			 2006-07 157,158 
		
	
	For the years 1992-93 to 1999-2000, the Works expenditure programme was covered by a separate Vote. This period included significant cash expenditure on projects such as the construction of Portcullis House. The figures shown cover the Administration Vote only for those years.
	The net resource outturn figures from 2001-02 are as follows:
	
		
			   Resource outturn (£000) 
			 2001-02 165,426 
			 2002-03 180,006 
			 2003-04 178,217 
			 2004-05 189,881 
			 2005-06 320,559 
			 2006-07 210,608

Information Services: Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total expenditure on Library services was in each year since 1978.

Nick Harvey: Only cash-based figures are available for the years prior to 2001-02. These are less comparable than resource-based figures over the period. The cash figures are as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 1978-79 604 
			 1979-80 931 
			 1980-81 1,267 
			 1981-82 1,457 
			 1982-83 1,589 
			 1983-84 1,757 
			 1984-85 1,852 
			 1985-86 2,064 
			 1986-87 2,334 
			 1987-88 2,459 
			 1988-89 2,739 
			 1989-90 3,216 
			 1990-91 3,750 
			 1991-92 4,363 
			 1992-93 7,022 
			 1993-94 7,820 
			 1994-95 7,094 
			 1995-96 6,542 
			 1996-97 7,275 
			 1997-98 7,305 
			 1998-99 8,257 
			 1999-2000 7,885 
			 2000-01 8,313 
			 2001-02 (1)8,535 
			 2002-03 (1)8,770 
			 2003-04 (1)9,955 
			 2004-05 (1)— 
			 2005-06 (1)— 
			 2006-07 (1)— 
			 (1) Figures prior to 2001-02 are taken from the Appropriation Accounts. Those shown for 2001-02 to 2003-04 are cash equivalent figures shown in the House of Commons Commission Annual Report. The Resource Accounts and Commission Annual Report do not give separate cash figures for 2004-05 onwards. 
		
	
	The total resource expenditure on Library services from 2003, following a change of accounting system, are as follows:
	
		
			   Resource outturn (£000) 
			 2003-04 9,748 
			 2004-05 8,349 
			 2005-06 9,010 
			 2006-07 10,185

Political Activities: Stationery

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the Commission's definition is of campaigning with regards to the prohibition of the use of House stationery for campaigning.

Nick Harvey: The House approved on 28 March 2007 a new Communications Allowance as set out in the First Report from the Members Estimate Committee 2006-07 HC 319. At the same time, a limit of £7,000 was placed on the amount of House stationery which could be used by each Member in one year. Detailed rules for both the Communications Allowance and the use of House stationery, approved by the Members Estimate Committee, were published at the time (The Communications Allowance and the use of House stationery, April 2007). The Committee undertook to review the detailed rules in the light of experience. The Committee on Standards and Privileges has recently reported on a number of cases arising from use of the Communications Allowance. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has said that he intends to submit a further report to that Committee on some general issues relating to publications funded from the allowance. The Commission and the Members Estimate Committee will await the Committee's conclusions on this before deciding on a review.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Angling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the contribution that angling makes to the economy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in size of the angling sector over the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I recognise the value of recreational sea angling (RSA) and the important contribution it makes to the economy.
	DEFRA's report "Research into the Economic Contribution of Sea Angling", published in July 2004, estimated that the total expenditure on their sport by anglers residing in England and Wales was £538 million a year.
	The same report estimated that 1.1 million households in England and Wales contained at least one family member who had been sea angling in 2003. Since the early 1990s, the number of sea anglers had stabilised and possibly increased. Although not quantified, the report suggests that we could see a stable or possibly increasing demand for sea angling in future, with the sector's prospects depending mainly on demand, fish stocks and facilities. These factors are considered in a draft RSA Strategy, which we will shortly consult on.

Angling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish his draft recreational sea angling strategy for consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: A draft Recreational Sea Angling Strategy has been developed collaboratively with key stakeholders in inshore fisheries and contains a broad package of measures. On 25 October I announced that I would launch a consultation on the draft Strategy in November this year.

Beaches: EU Law

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the Environment Agency of implementing the revised Bathing Water Directive; and what additional funds have been allocated to allow them to do so.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government have recently launched a public consultation, including a partial impact assessment which sets out the costs and benefits associated with the implementation of the revised Bathing Water Directive in England and Wales. The impact assessment suggests that there will be some relatively small additional costs incurred by the Environment Agency from the implementation of the revised Directive (over and above its on-going costs under the current Bathing Water Directive), but that these are likely to be off-set by the savings it may incur as a result of the simplification provisions included in the revised Directive.

Birds: Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Bird Registration Scheme under section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in facilitating the enforcement of  (a) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora and  (b) other wildlife laws by police.

Joan Ruddock: The Animal Health Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service enforcement section is not aware of any cases within the past five years where information solely available from BIRDLOG (the database system used for bird registration) has been critical in obtaining successful convictions of CITES or other wildlife laws enforced by the police. It is however aware of numerous instances where information from BIRDLOG has been released to the police to assist in the investigation of registration offences, but these rarely result in the keeper being taken to court.

Bluetongue Disease: Compensation

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) financial and  (b) other aid is planned to be made available to farmers who have had livestock infected with bluetongue disease; what elements of that aid will be funded by the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 19 November 2007
	For bluetongue, compensation will be paid for all animals which are compulsorily slaughtered (at market value immediately before it was slaughtered) and disposal costs will also be paid for. No financial aid packages for bluetongue are proposed.
	We are developing our response to bluetongue in line with the UK bluetongue control strategy. We aim to relieve the economic and welfare problems facing the industry by allowing movement of animals in areas of Great Britain based on a risk assessment. We are working in close partnership with farmers and the devolved administrations in order to achieve this.

Dolphins

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking in international organisations to protect dolphins; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The UK Government works actively through several international organisations to further the protection offered to dolphins and other cetaceans. These include the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the "OSPAR Convention") and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
	The UK Government have implemented a comprehensive system of by-catch monitoring under the requirements of the EC Habitats Directive and Council Regulation 812/2004. In 2003, the UK was the first member state to publish a response strategy for the monitoring of small cetaceans by-catch. In December 2004, the UK banned pelagic pair trawling for bass by UK vessels within 12 miles off the south-west coast of England. The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) regularly reports the results of its research on by-catch monitoring which covers all relevant UK fishery sectors, including the bass pair trawl fishery to the Department, and has recently presented us with their 2006 findings. This report will be submitted to the European Commission and published on DEFRA's website in due course. The Commission evaluate all contributing member states' schemes.
	The UK Government have identified the potential benefits of acoustic devices, such as pingers, in reducing bycatch of dolphins and other cetaceans in fixed gear fisheries and argued successfully at an international level for these devices to be required in certain fisheries by EU legislation. Prior to enforcing the use of pingers under Council Regulation EC 8121 2004, the UK Government wants to ensure that those we recommend to be used are safe and cost effective for the industry and offer the maximum protection to porpoises.
	We have also provided significant funding for collaborative working with other countries to collect information on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in European Atlantic offshore waters. Other countries participating in this research study are France, Ireland and Spain. The outputs from this work will provide new information on the distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of a number of cetaceans, which include the bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin. This information will be used to assess the threats to dolphins and inform what mitigation measures may be required.
	All dolphins are listed in either Appendix I or II of CITES. Under CITES, commercial trade in wild-taken Appendix I dolphins is only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Appendix II dolphin species are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade is regulated. The UK supports the listing of dolphins on the appropriate Appendix and, in 2004, supported the up-listing of the Irrawaddy dolphin from Appendix II to I. Under CITES, countries manage trade in listed species to ensure that their conservation is not threatened by trade. Under that management regime, the UK (and EU) takes strict measures in respect of trade, and keeping in captivity, of all dolphins. Trade in wild-taken dolphins would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances, for example scientific, breeding, or educational purposes (where these would bring conservation benefits to the species concerned). Commercial trade in the EU in these species is strictly prohibited. The UK encourages other countries to adopt similar standards.

European Fisheries Fund

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to meet his counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss budgetary arrangements for the European Fisheries Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: At present, I have no plans to meet my counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss budgetary arrangements for the European Fisheries Fund. However, there has been regular contact at both ministerial and official level and, following recent correspondence, I am working with my ministerial counterparts to agree a proposal regarding the split of the UK convergence budget, which represents a compromise for all administrations. The four fisheries administrations are mindful that continued lack of agreement is clearly not in the best interests of the UK fishing industry. However, I hope that agreement will be reached in the next few days.

European Fisheries Fund

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how he plans to allocate the European Fisheries Fund between the fisheries sectors; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much of the European Fisheries Fund he plans to allocate to the fishing industry for more sustainable gears; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what proportion of the European Fisheries Fund he plans to allocate to the aquaculture sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) identifies a number of priority axes for the allocation of funds:
	Axis 1: Measures for the adaptation of the Community fishing fleet.
	Axis 2: Aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products.
	Axis 3: Measures of common interest.
	Axis 4: Sustainable development of fisheries areas.
	Axis 5: Technical Assistance.
	This means that funds are not allocated to specific fisheries sectors.
	The answer I gave on 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 779-80W, on fisheries subsidies indicated the provisional classification of these priority axes for England.
	Axis 1 of the EFF covers funding for more sustainable gears. We are proposing to allocate approximately 15 per cent. of England's EFF budget for Axis 1 measures. Axis 2 covers aquaculture, and we are proposing to allocate approximately 15 per cent. of England's EFF budget for Axis 2 measures.
	The prioritisation of EFF funds will be finalised in the light of responses to the consultation on the Operational Programme, which will be launched in the new year.

European Fisheries Fund

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what circumstances the European Commission may penalise the UK in relation to the European Fisheries Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the event that Operational Programmes are not approved by the Commission by the end of 2007, the Commission could, in principle:
	(a) propose to the European Council and Parliament that funds be transferred to later years of the Programme; or
	(b) propose a cut in the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) budget, in effect reducing a member state's budget.
	These provisions are set out in the Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 17 May 2007, on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure.
	The UK is one of six member states yet to submit an Operational Programme (OP) to the Commission for approval. Until the OP has been approved, the UK cannot spend EFF funds and spending will therefore not match the Commission's projections. The Commission may therefore choose to invoke one of the above provisions. I will be seeking the agreement of the Commission to choose the first of these two options and my officials are working with those from devolved administrations to submit a draft OP to the Commission by the end of the year.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the proposals in the Marine Bill White Paper to introduce protected marine areas in UK waters will apply to foreign vessels with historic rights within the 12 nautical mile limit; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine Bill White Paper proposes a network of new marine conservation zones with clear conservation objectives. Should it be necessary to restrict fishing activity in order to achieve the objectives set for any site within six nautical miles of the coast, the relevant authority could introduce appropriate measures. In respect of sites located between six and 12 nautical miles from the coast (in which other EU member states have historic fishing rights) the Secretary of State would seek the agreement of the European Fisheries Council to the introduction of measures through the common fisheries policy. If such agreement were forthcoming, measures to restrict fishing activity on the site would apply to all vessels, regardless of origin.

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relative effectiveness and efficiency of  (a) Hunt Class and  (b) River Class patrol vessels in performance of fishery protection duties as referred to in the answer of 16 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 945-6W, on fisheries: protection; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The three River class vessels which replaced the six Island class vessels in 2003-04, were leased by MOD to provide the majority of Fishery Protection duties for DEFRA. The Rivers, like the Island class before, are contracted to provide 70 per cent. of the total annual patrol day requirement. The Rivers provide on average 190 to 230 patrol days each year. Their design, their equipment and their crewing is geared to provide a first class fisheries enforcement service in UK and International waters at anytime of the year.
	The Hunt class vessels that are seconded to the Fishery Protection Squadron for 2 to 3 year periods, are Mine Countermeasure vessels which were designed for that primary role. There have always been three to five Hunts in the Fishery Protection Squadron at any one time, but they have always acted in a supporting role to the Islands and Rivers within the Fishery Protection Squadron. Most of the Hunts provide on average, 50-100 patrol days each year and consequently spend long periods of the year not on fisheries enforcement duties.
	The River class vessels, built in the last five years, are much faster vessels than the older Hunts (18yrs plus), with a maximum speed of 22knts compared to a maximum of 15knts on the Hunts and they are able to stay at sea for longer periods. Rivers currently carry out 12 day patrols followed by a two day stand-off whereas the Hunts carry out seven to eight day patrols followed by a two day stand-off.
	The River class vessels are equipped and manned to be able to routinely deploy two sea-boats to carry out simultaneous inspections whereas the Hunts are equipped to use one sea-boat. They do exceptionally use two sea-boats if weather and crewing permit.
	Rivers have a higher complement of qualified British Sea Fisheries Officers (BSFOs), carrying an average of four at all times whereas the Hunts carry an average of three qualified BSFOs.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish proposals for consultation on fishing quota management reform by the end of 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the light of the Net Benefits report by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published in March 2004, DEFRA and the devolved fisheries administrations embarked in May 2005 on a programme of reform of the UK's quota management arrangements: the Quota Management Change Programme (QMCP).
	We planned to consult on the findings of the QMCP this autumn and were in a position to do so. However, in June 2007, the Scottish Executive announced that it was withdrawing from the QMCP while it considered what quota management arrangements would be best for Scotland. The Scottish Executive has recently indicated that it wants quota management and licensing arrangements in Scotland to be separate from the rest of the UK. This would represent a significant change in UK fisheries management.
	While I am prepared to consider this constructively, the Scottish Executive has yet to provide details of its proposals and I have, so far, seen no evidence that separate arrangements would be of benefit to the fishing industry. I have asked my officials to work with the industry and officials in the devolved administrations to examine the issues that separation raises.
	The case for other potential reforms of the quota management arrangements, flowing from the work conducted under the QMCP, will also be considered. Any proposed changes to the quota and licensing systems will be subject to consultation with the industry. Until further work has been completed on the Scottish Executive proposals, it is not possible to say when this consultation might take place.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 October 2007,  Official Report, column 526W on fishery: quotas, for what reason no estimate was made of the value of the quota being swapped; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is not feasible to undertake an economic analysis of the value of quota involved in every swap undertaken. The cost involved would be prohibitive and the time it would take could jeopardise the chance of completing swaps in many cases. In the case referred to, a judgment was made that, on balance, the quota being swapped in was to the greater benefit of the overall inshore fleet than the quota swapped out. The relative monetary value of quota gained and lost is one element taken into account when considering a swap. The primary concern however is to ensure, on balance, the greatest benefit to the UK industry and/or inshore fleet as a whole.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is departmental policy to make estimates of the economic value of quota being swapped when a swap takes place; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Decisions on day to day quota management, including the negotiation of quota swaps, rests with the Marine and Fisheries Agency. The monetary value of fish being swapped in or out is one aspect taken into account when quota swaps are undertaken. This is normally based on the lease value of the fish involved. The primary concern however is a judgment of the wider socio-economic value of the swap under consideration. The objective is to ensure that a swap provides the greatest benefit to the wider UK industry and/or the inshore fleet as a whole. This process can involve a consideration of the shortage of stocks being swapped in or out, the effects on a particular sector of the fleet or impacts on a community or communities.

Fly Tipping

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to provide support for landowners with the costs of  (a) clearance and  (b) prevention of fly-tipping on their land.

Joan Ruddock: The Waste Strategy for England, published in May 2007, includes the Government's Illegal Waste Activity Action Plan, which sets out action proposed and being taken in this area. This includes working with stakeholders to consider how the Flycapture database can be enhanced or improved to enable local authorities to better use data to take action against fly-tipping. This may include extending the scope of the database on a voluntary basis to landowners.
	Neither the local authority nor the Environment Agency is under any legal obligation to assist the removal of waste on private land. However, some local authorities are ready to work with landowners to investigate and prosecute repeated incidents of fly-tipping and to tackle specific problems or issues. The Government believe that to place a duty on authorities to remove waste from private land would encourage illegal dumping rather than tackle the problem.
	The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 gave courts the power to make an order against anyone convicted of the main offence of illegal waste disposal to pay for costs incurred by a landowner in removing waste that has been illegally deposited.
	In addition, the Environment Agency's National Fly-tipping Prevention Group identifies better ways of preventing and tackling fly-tipping on private land by working closely with organisations like the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, Network Rail and the National Trust, and has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with this problem.

Fly Tipping

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that incidents of fly-tipping on private land are recorded on the Flycapture database.

Joan Ruddock: The Flycapture database currently only records incidents dealt with by local authorities and the Environment Agency. It does not include fly-tipping that is dealt with by private landowners.
	The Government are considering how to get a better picture of the problem of fly-tipping on private land. This includes the possibility of landowners reporting data to Flycapture on a voluntary basis.
	DEFRA also attends the Environment Agency's National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, which identifies better ways of preventing and tackling fly-tipping on private land and has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with this problem.

Game: Birds

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect on (i) wildlife and (ii) the rural environment of lead shot left in the countryside by the gamebird shooting industry;
	(2)  what estimate he has made is of the amount of lead shot which was left in the countryside by the gamebird shooting industry in 2006.

Joan Ruddock: The use of lead shot to shoot ducks, geese or swans over certain Sites of Special Scientific Interest where lead shot is deemed to be a risk to waterfowl, is prohibited.
	Outside these areas, the use of lead shot is not prohibited for shooting gamebirds or other species and my Department has not commissioned any research on lead shot residues in the countryside, making it impossible to provide an estimate of the amount of lead shot left by the game bird industry.
	Wildlife may, in certain circumstances, be at risk from lead shot when scavenging on other species killed by lead shot. Research involving Natural England and other organisations has shown that for red kites in England, exposure to this type of poisoning appears to be sufficient to be fatal in some cases, although this has not prevented the reintroduced red kite populations from increasing rapidly.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to include in the advertising for warm front vouchers the amount of each voucher which will be spent on administration fees.

Phil Woolas: As administration fees are not charged to the householder benefiting from the voucher, the Secretary of State has no current plans to publicise the fee in warm front advertising.

Marine Bill: Draft

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will publish a timetable for the proposed passage of the draft Marine Bill through parliamentary scrutiny.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government are committed to publishing a draft Marine Bill as part of the legislative programme in this 2007-08 session of Parliament. We expect this will be in the spring of 2008. The timetable for the introduction of a Marine Bill to, and passage through, Parliament will be subject to the outcome of public scrutiny of the draft Bill and the availability of parliamentary time

Nitrates: EU Law

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect on costs of dairy farmers of the operation of the Nitrates directive.

Phil Woolas: The partial regulatory impact assessment and supporting paper "G4-Assistance in the partial RIA including extended Nitrate Vulnerable Zones" provide details of my Department's assessment of the likely impact on farming in England of the proposed Nitrates Action programme measures.
	These assessments estimate the likely cost to the dairy sector of implementing the proposed Nitrates Action programme as approximately £32.5 million-£42.1 million per year assuming that the Action programme is applied within Nitrate Vulnerable Zones covering 70 per cent. of England. Costs would be higher if the decision was taken to apply the Action programme to the whole of England. These costs would be reduced if my Department was successful in obtaining a derogation from the 170kgN/ha/yr whole farm limit for livestock manures, one of the more burdensome requirements of the proposals.

Opium: Crops

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of opium poppy production for medicinal use was in the UK in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	Opium poppy production for medicinal use in the UK for the years requested is shown in the table as follows.
	Most of this material is imported under licence in the form of concentrate of poppy straw from Australia, Turkey and Spain. Since 2001, the UK manufacturer of opium poppy based medicines has grown a small proportion of its total requirement of poppy material domestically in order to spread the sourcing risk.
	
		
			   Area (ha) 
			 2001 (1)21.50 
			 2002 463.53 
			 2003 1,533.75 
			 2004 2,05 1.63 
			 2005 1,659.56 
			 2006 774.06 
			 2007 2,744.98 
			 (1 )research only

Packaging

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of British companies had a turnover of less than £2 million and produced less than 50 tonnes of packaging a year in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: Less than 1 per cent. of companies have a turnover of more than £2 million and produce more than 50 tonnes of packaging. This is the threshold at which they must be registered in accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
	In 2006, 10.4 million tonnes of packaging waste entered the UK waste stream. Companies obligated under the Regulations accounted for 8.9 million tonnes (86 per cent.) of this packaging.

Rabbits

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on research on  (a) rabbits and  (b) squirrels in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA has spent a total of £827,000 over the last five years on research into wild rabbits. The amounts (in £000) by year are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 261 
			 2003-04 373 
			 2004-05 108 
			 2005-06 66 
			 2006-07 19 
			 2007-08 0 
		
	
	DEFRA has not funded any research on grey squirrels over the last five years. However, the Forestry Commission contributed £20,000 a year in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to a DEFRA project on fertility control in wildlife.

Waste Management: Licensing

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that relevant businesses are aware of the legal requirement to carry a waste carrier licence.

Joan Ruddock: There is no present legal requirement for businesses to carry or display their waste carrier registration certificate. Businesses that carry waste with a view to profit, with certain specified exceptions, are required to be registered as such with the Environment Agency. Proof of registration can be required by a local authority or the Environment Agency. Waste carriers are allowed seven days to produce this information.
	The waste carrier registration and waste duty of care regimes, including existing regulations and related guidance, are currently being reviewed with a view to simplifying and modernising the requirements. The review was set up in response to concerns from key stakeholders that the existing system was not effectively ensuring the safe and legal handling of waste. The Environment Agency has also found that levels of awareness, especially among small businesses is very low.
	An initial consultation on proposed changes closed on 6 March 2007. A summary of responses was published in July 2007 which will help to inform a second consultation, planned for the early part of 2008. A communications strategy is currently being formulated to raise awareness of the new regimes among a number of different sectors. We have commissioned Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS) to carry out research into the attitudes of small businesses in order to understand what methods of awareness-raising would work on this hard-to-reach audience. Results should be available at the end of 2007.
	In terms of awareness, the Environment Agency is promoting waste carrier registration through its Business Resource Efficiency and Waste crime programme and NetRegs. NetRegs is a partnership between the UK environmental regulators—the Environment Agency in England and Wales, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland. Netregs produces guidance by business type for 105 industries and guidance by environmental topic. NetRegs' main target audience are small and medium sized enterprises and unregulated businesses considered most likely to damage the environment, in particular construction, agriculture and manufacturing.

White Fish

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he expects to complete his review of bass nursery areas; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce inshore netting restrictions to improve bass stocks; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in 2004 suggested that the bass stock is fished sustainably. On 25 October I announced a review of bass nursery areas and inshore netting restrictions. The next step will be to engage stakeholders on how and when to take this work forward collaboratively during 2008. Details of my announcement are set out in the autumn 2007 edition of Fishing Focus, available in the Library of the House.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings have been held since July 2007 involving  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department with representatives of the Jewish community to discuss (i) anti-semitism in England, (ii) security of the Jewish community in England and (iii) measures to tackle anti-semitism; what the (A) location and (B) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who attended each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I met representatives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust. Issues concerning the Jewish community were discussed, as well as the All Party Inquiry follow up and security matters affecting the Jewish community.
	I also met with Lord Janner in October 2007 and all three matters were raised.
	Both meetings took place at CLG's offices and lasted approximately 30 minutes. The first meeting included CPU officials, representatives from all three organisations and myself. The second meeting was between Lord Janner and myself.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will carry out regular assessments of the level of anti-semitism in England; what recent representations she has received on the issue; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not carry out assessments on the level of antisemitism in the UK. Hate crime of this nature is a matter the police take seriously. There is good cooperation between the Community Safety Trust and police forces in areas with a significant Jewish community.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps have been taken on measures to tackle anti-semitism; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government are taking forward the recommendations made by the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into anti-semitism. CLG is also providing £20,000 to The Parliamentary Committee Against Antisemitism to take the form of inquiry (cross-party) to other countries. CLG is also providing £20,000 towards researching the impact of antisemitic discourse on the general atmosphere of 'acceptance' of antisemitism. CLG have also facilitated meetings between the All Party Inquiry and officials working on tension monitoring and the Citizenship Survey.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition her Department uses of Jewish stakeholders; whom she consulted on this definition; what representations she has received on this definition; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: In common with other communities, Jewish stakeholders are those organisations and individuals who have an identified interest and/or contribution to make on a particular issue. This is determined on a case by case basis. No representations on this definition have been received.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership of the cross-government working group on anti-Semitism is; on how many occasions the group has met; which  (a) Ministers,  (b) officials and  (c) others have attended; what the (i) location and (ii) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The cross-government working group on anti-Semitism is made up of officials from Communities and Local Government, the Home Office, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Ministry of Justice, Attorney-General's Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport as well as representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Metropolitan police, the Parliamentary Committee Against Anti-Semitism, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust. The group has met twice, no Ministers have attended the meetings only officials and representatives from the departments and other organisations mentioned above. The working group met at Community and Local Government offices, meetings lasted 90 minutes and a record is kept.

Arm's Length Management Organisations

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have applied for places on the Round 5 and 6 Arms-Length Management Organisation (ALMO) programmes; how much funding each has applied for; which of them have been granted places on the programme and for how much funding in each case; which of them have set up ALMOs; which ALMOs have been inspected; what the result of each inspection was; which have been allocated funding following the inspection; and how much has been allocated in each case.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out the local authorities who have applied for places on Rounds 5 and 6 of the ALMO programme. All Round 5 bidders have been accepted onto the programme, although a decision has yet to be reached on those who submitted applications under Round 6. The table sets out the funding each ALMO has bid for and how much has been allocated, up to 2007-08, to those round five bidders who have been successful at inspection.
	
		
			  Round 5  Funding applied for (£)  Inspection outcome  Funding allocated to 2007-08 (£) 
			 Doncaster 234,476,000 *2 50,300,000 
			 Gloucester 40,174,000 *2 12,065,000 
			 Hackney 225,339,000 1 — 
			 Lambeth (United Residents Housing) 31,593,000 — — 
			 Newham 240,452,000 *2 78,113,000 
			 Stockport 103,967,000 *3 40,360,000 
			 South Tyneside 166,699,000 *1 — 
			 Southend 57,798,000 *0  
			 Wear Valley 26,997,000 *2 5,000,000 
			 
			  Round 6 Bidders
			 Haringey 219,364,000 *2 — 
			 Basildon 142,879,000 — — 
			 Blackpool 75,637,000 — — 
			 Charnwood 35,853,000 — — 
			 Enfield 140,000,000 — — 
			 Havering 127,898,000 — — 
			 Lambeth (Lambeth Living) 233,773,000 — — 
			 Lewisham 145,100,000 — — 
			 NE Derbyshire 64,638,000 — — 
			 Redbridge 35,995,000 — — 
			 Salford 68,792,000 — — 
			 Sedgemoor 39,961 ,000 — — 
			 Stevenage 55,050,000 — — 
			 Sutton 137,486,000 — — 
			 Tower Hamlets 192,188,000 — —

Arm's Length Management Organisations: Standards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when each local authority with arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) expects to meet the decent homes standard; and when each expected to meet the standard when the ALMO was established.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out when each ALMO met the standard or now expects to meet the standard. Since being established a number of ALMOs have not made the progress that they expected and consequently will not now meet the decent homes standard by 2010. For those organisations yet to pass inspection—a pre-determined milestone to be achieved before investment can be spent—a date cannot be confirmed until inspection has been passed. We are now negotiating individual time scales to allow those ALMOs to deliver decent homes beyond 2010 where they are starting late on the programme, or where additional time is needed to deliver investment programmes that ensure value for money, deliver mixed communities and the right balance of refurbishment and new build.
	
		
			  Authority with arm ' s length management organisation  Date met standard or expecting to meet standard 
			  Rounds 1-5 ALMOs with investment programmes  
			 Ashfield 2005-06 
			 Derby 2005-06 
			 Brent 2006-07 
			 Westminster 2006-07 
			 Blyth Valley 2006-07 
			 Bolton 2007-08 
			 Hillingdon 2007-08 
			 Colchester 2007-08 
			 Oldham 2007-08 
			 Warrington 2007-08 
			 Kirklees 2008-09 
			 Leeds—South 2008-09 
			 Carrick 2008-09 
			 Cheltenham 2008-09 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2008-09 
			 Rochdale 2008-09 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2009-10 
			 South Lakeland 2009-10 
			 Poole 2009-10 
			 Leeds—ENE (formerly East) 2009-10 
			 Newark and Sherwood 2009-10 
			 Islington 2010-11 
			 Rotherham 2010-11 
			 (Leeds—North East) 2010-11 
			 Leeds WNW (formerly NW) 2010-11 
			 (Leeds—West) 2010-11 
			 Wigan 2010-11 
			 Barnsley 2010-11 
			 Leeds—South East 2010-11 
			 Barnet 2010-11 
			 Stockport 2010-11 
			 High Peak 2010-11 
			 Sheffield 2010-11 
			 Ealing 2010-11 
			 Manchester 2010-11 
			 Newham 2010-11 
			 Bury 2010-11 
			 Stockton 2010-11 
			 Newcastle 2010-11 
			 Gateshead 2010-11 
			 Hounslow 2010-11 
			 Sandwell 2010-11 
			 Solihull 2011-12 
			   
			  ALMOs who have passed their Audit Commission inspections later than originally planned  
			 Waltham Forest 2010-11 
			 Gloucester 2011-12 
			 Wear Valley 2011-12 
			 Eastbourne 2012-13 
			 Wolverhampton 2012-13 
			 Bassetlaw 2012-13 
			 Doncaster 2013-14 
			  Rounds 3-5 ALMOs who have yet to pass their Audit Commission inspection  
			 Hackney Yet to pass inspection 
			 Lambeth (part) Yet to pass inspection 
			 Nottingham Yet to pass inspection 
			 Southend Yet to pass inspection 
			 Easington Yet to pass inspection 
			 South Tyneside Yet to pass inspection 
			   
			  Round 6 bidders  
			 Haringey Discussions on investment programme ongoing after successful inspection 
			 Basildon Yet to pass inspection 
			 Redbridge Yet to pass inspection 
			 Stevenage Yet to pass inspection 
			 Blackpool Yet to pass inspection 
			 Sutton Yet to pass inspection 
			 Havering Yet to pass inspection 
			 N E Derbyshire Yet to pass inspection 
			 Salford Yet to pass inspection 
			 Sedgemoor Yet to pass inspection

Bellwin Scheme

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much financial compensation has been given to local authorities affected by flooding in July 2007 which has not come from the Bellwin scheme.

John Healey: To date the Government have made available a significant package of up to £57 million to support areas affected by the flooding of June and July 2007. None of this has to date come from the Bellwin scheme. This includes the following assistance provided to local authorities and other public bodies:
	Up to £20 million in Flood Recovery Grant for local authorities affected by the floods to support their work in helping those in greatest and most immediate need. £7,390,000 was paid out to local authorities affected by the July floods. Full details of the grant paid out to local authorities is available on the Communities and Local Government website:
	www.communities.gov.uk/floodrecovery
	£14 million for schools and children's services affected by the floods, of which over £4 million has been paid out to those affected by the July floods. Full details of the grant allocation are given in the following tables.
	£10 million for repairs to the local highway with more to come for affected local authorities as claims are submitted.
	£1 million which can be drawn on as contingency reserve for use by Jobcentre Plus to support additional demand for Social Fund Community Care Grants.
	As of 9 November, the Department for Work and Pensions had paid Community Care Grants totalling £707,000 to people on qualifying benefits to meet the cost of replacing essential household items
	£1 million to support rural tourism in England through promoting rural destinations and visitor attractions and a targeted marketing campaign.
	In addition, over £11 million has been made available by Regional Development Agencies for businesses affected in their regions. Regional Development Agencies continue to assess the needs of business in the affected regions and have adapted or expanded their support to meet such demand. Further information is available on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) website:
	www.berr.gov.uk/regional/regional-dev-agencies/flood-recovery/page40623.html
	Bellwin schemes have been activated nationwide, for all authorities affected by June and July floods, and are amongst the most generous ever. 50 local authorities have registered for assistance for the June scheme and 52 have registered for the July scheme. 20 local authorities have registered for both schemes. Authorities have six months to spend under this scheme and none have yet submitted their claim to Government.
	
		
			  Funding allocat ed to local authorities by the D epartment for  C hildren,  Schools and F amilies following the June and July 2007 floods (as of 19 November 2007) 
			  £ 
			  Local authority  Allocation for June floods  Allocation for July floods  Total allocation 
			 Kingston upon Hull 3,214,424 — 3,214,424 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,477,549 — 1,477,549 
			 Gloucestershire — 1,007,900 1,007,900 
			 Nottinghamshire 858,508 — 858,508 
			 Rotherham 828,959 — 828,959 
			 Worcestershire 50,000 644,102 694,102 
			 Doncaster 614,862 — 614,862 
			 Warwickshire 81,733 481,070 562,803 
			 Sheffield 498,394 — 498,394 
			 West Berkshire — 423,404 423,404 
			 Lincolnshire 210,930 — 210,930 
			 Oxfordshire — 180,422 180,422 
			 Wakefield 179,373 — 179,373 
			 Richmond — 159,952 159,952 
			 Merton — 156,489 156,489 
			 Herefordshire 50,000 106,011 156,011 
			 Wokingham — 129,942 129,942 
			 Kingston Upon Thames — 128,362 128,362 
			 Barnsley 123,866 — 123,866 
			 Croydon — 121,580 121,580 
			 Derbyshire 119,761 — 119,761 
			 Surrey — 118,989 118,989 
			 Sutton — 118,908 118,908 
			 Wandsworth — 110,591 110,591 
			 Staffordshire 70,907 — 70,907 
			 Solihull 70,735 — 70,735 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead — 60,072 60,072 
			 Swindon — 58,067 58,067 
			 East Sussex — 50,958 50,958 
			 Birmingham 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Dudley 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — 50,000 50,000 
			 Harrow — 50,000 50,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 50,000 50,000 
			 Kirklees 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Lambeth — 50,000 50,000 
			 Leeds 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North Yorkshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Northamptonshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Reading — 50,000 50,000 
			 Sandwell 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Shropshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Walsall 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Total 9,050,001 4,306,819 13,356,820 
			  Note: As well as these allocations to local authorities, DCSF has paid for surveyors used by some local authorities, and will be meeting some other local authority costs from the contingency fund remaining from the overall allocation of £14 million 
		
	
	
		
			  Funding allocated to local authorities by the Department for Children, Schools and Families following the June and July 2007 floods (as of 19 November 2007) 
			  £ 
			  Local authority  Allocation for June floods  Allocation for July floods  Total allocation 
			 Kingston upon Hull 3,214,424 — 3,214,424 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,477,549 — 1,477,549 
			 Gloucestershire — 1,007,900 1,007,900 
			 Nottinghamshire 858,508 — 858,508 
			 Rotherham 828,959 — 828,959 
			 Worcestershire 50,000 644,102 694,102 
			 Doncaster 614,862 — 614,862 
			 Warwickshire 81,733 481,070 562,803 
			 Sheffield 498,394 — 498,394 
			 West Berkshire — 423,404 423,404 
			 Lincolnshire 210,930 — 210,930 
			 Oxfordshire — 180,422 180,422 
			 Wakefield 179,373 — 179,373 
			 Richmond — 159,952 159,952 
			 Merton — 156,489 156,489 
			 Herefordshire 50,000 106,011 156,011 
			 Wokingham — 129,942 129,942 
			 Kingston Upon Thames — 128,362 128,362 
			 Barnsley 123,866 — 123,866 
			 Croydon — 121,580 121,580 
			 Derbyshire 119,761 — 119,761 
			 Surrey — 118,989 118,989 
			 Sutton — 118,908 118,908 
			 Wandsworth — 110,591 110,591 
			 Staffordshire 70,907 — 70,907 
			 Solihull 70,735 — 70,735 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead — 60,072 60,072 
			 Swindon — 58,067 58,067 
			 East Sussex — 50,958 50,958 
			 Birmingham 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Dudley 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — 50,000 50,000 
			 Harrow — 50,000 50,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 50,000 50,000 
			 Kirklees 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Lambeth — 50,000 50,000 
			 Leeds 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 North Yorkshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Northamptonshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Reading — 50,000 50,000 
			 Sandwell 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Shropshire 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Walsall 50,000 — 50,000 
			 Total 9,050,001 4,306,819 13,356,820 
			  Note: As well as these allocations to local authorities, DCSF has paid for surveyors used by some local authorities, and will be meeting some other local authority costs from the contingency fund remaining from the overall allocation of £14 million

Council Housing: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities are using the new prudential borrowing framework; and how much each such local authority has borrowed.

John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the information on capital expenditure financed by self-financed borrowing (unsupported by central Government) for each local authority in England in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	These figures are derived from Communities and Local Government Capital Outturn Returns.

Council Housing: Sales

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local housing authorities are required to ascertain the source of funds at the disposal of those tenants seeking to purchase council housing stock  (a) with a discount and  (b) without a discount and who immediately prior to their application to purchase were in receipt of (i) means tested state benefits and (ii) local authority means tested benefits; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Secure tenants of local authorities who have spent at least two years as a social tenant (or five years if their tenancy started on or after 18 January 2005) have the right to buy their homes at a discount, unless:
	they are bankrupt or are facing bankruptcy proceedings
	they are facing possession proceedings
	they are renting their homes in connection with their employment, or
	their homes are particularly suitable for occupation by elderly or disabled people.
	It is up to tenants to ensure that they have sufficient resources to purchase their homes. There are no requirements on local authorities to check on this.
	Local authorities who offer the pilot Social HomeBuy scheme, under which tenants may buy a minimum 25 per cent. share in their home at a discount, apply an affordability test to determine whether a tenant can afford to sustain home ownership. This is because Social HomeBuy is aimed at people who are unable to afford the cost of outright ownership. The test involves looking at the tenant's income, including benefits where appropriate, and at the costs of purchase (e.g. stamp duty, legal fees) and the on-going costs of home ownership (e.g. a mortgage, rent on the landlord's retained equity and service charges).
	Local authorities can sell properties to tenants on voluntary terms at a discount, under section 32 of the Housing Act 1985. It is up to tenants to ensure that they have sufficient resources to purchase their homes. There are no requirements on local authorities to check on this.

Council Housing: Waiting Lists

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households there have been on waiting lists for housing in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds and  (c) West Yorkshire in each year from 1997.

Iain Wright: The Department does not hold information for areas smaller then local authority districts. Data for the Leeds city council area as a whole and for West Yorkshire are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Leeds  West Yorkshire 
			 1997 19,643 54,792 
			 1998 18,854 50,652 
			 1999 27,013 49,102 
			 2000 22,767 43,283 
			 2001 25,318 44,790 
			 2002 26,641 49,189 
			 2003 31,105 65,803 
			 2004 30,959 73,206 
			 2005 30,699 83,724 
			 2006 23,851 90,766 
			 2007 24,780 101,995 
			  Note: Data relate to 31 March each year.  Source: CLG's annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return

Departmental Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many reports have been made to her Department's nominated officers under paragraph 16 of the revised Civil Service Code since its publication on 6 June 2006;
	(2)  how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been reported to her Department by departmental staff since 6 June 2006;
	(3)  when her Department's whistleblowing procedures were reviewed to reflect the provisions in the revised Civil Service Code.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 596W.

Departmental Manpower

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the full-time equivalent headcount in her Department is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for her Department is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The full-time equivalent staffing levels for the Department for Communities and Local Government, are published by the Office of National Statistics at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0907.pdf
	The Departmental business planning process is not yet complete and so future year forecasts are not yet available.

Fire Services: Freedom of Information

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Freedom of Information requests her Department has received on fire control centres; from whom the requests came; and how many received responses.

Parmjit Dhanda: We have received 15 Freedom of Information requests relating to the FiReControl project since 1 January 2005. Details of who made the requests is shown in the following table. This includes eight from FBU officials, two from Gloucestershire county council, one from an FRS employee, three from journalists and one person who did not specify their connection to any organisation.
	The responses to all 15 requests are available on the FiReControl website and a copy of these will also be placed in the House Library.
	
		
			  FOI No.  Date of letter  From  Organisation  Subject  Release date 
			 F000135 30 December 2004 Nigel Roberts Gloucestershire County Council Gloucs Tri-Service 3 February 2005 
			 F000132 4 January 2005 Name withheld (1) Not specified Decision making process for SW Region 2 February 2005 
			 F001022 4 January 2005 Viv Horton FRS Location - YH RCC 11 January 2005 
			 F001061 13 January 2005 Duncan Little ITV1 West Country Bids/Criteria/PFI/Staff/Costs-SW 9 February 2005 
			 F001094 4 February 2005 Andrew Cooper FBU Costs 4 March 2005 
			 F001103 6 February 2005 Jean Westwood FBU Sites/Costs 14 April 2005 
			 F001122 10 February 2005 Mike Hill Lancashire Evening Post Risk Assessment 14 March 2005 
			 F001163 7 March 2005 Andrew Cooper FBU Costs of PA consultants 7 April 2005 
			 F001164 5 March 2005 Andrew Cooper FBU Forecast Expenditure 4 April 2005 
			 F001168 7 March 2005 John Drake FBU Spend on Consultants 7 April 2005 
			 F001194 16 March 2005 Nigel Roberts Gloucestershire County Council Gloucs Tri-Service 6 May 2005 
			 F001314 24 June 2005 Paul Watts FBU Consultants Fees 5 August 2005 
			 F001534 25 January 2006 Paul Watts FBU Costs breakdown 20 February 2006 
			 F001772 18 July 2006 Ben Norman Exeter Express and Echo Costs - SW 16 August 2006 
			 F001850 6 September 2006 Paul Watts FBU Costs 4 October 2006 
			 (1 )Name withheld as this may well be a private person acting in his private capacity, and as such releasing his name is could breach one or more the data protection principles in the Data Protection Act 1998. This consideration does not apply with equal force to the other names in the table since they are asking on behalf of the organisations that they represent, and not as private individuals.

Fire Services: Pensions

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the effects on previously retired firefighters of the amended guidance on the ill health benefits of the Firefighters Pension scheme; and if she will review the guidance in the light of these representations.

Parmjit Dhanda: Representations have been received from the Fire Brigades Union, the Fire Officers Association, the Retained Firefighters' Union and the Association of Principal Fire Officers and several other representative organisations about the arrangements for ill-health retirements under the Firefighters' Pension scheme. The issues raised are being considered so that we can be satisfied that the provisions and their associated informal guidance are operating effectively.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact on housing policy of Government proposals to move towards a lower carbon national grid.

Iain Wright: The Department works closely with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to ensure that the impacts on housing policy of proposals on energy policy, and vice versa, are identified and considered. For example, delivery of our ambitious and world leading policy for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016 will depend on use of renewable and low carbon energy.

Housing: Construction

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many house building starts there were in each of the last 24 months; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Figures on new build are only available centrally on a quarterly basis and are presented as follows:
	
		
			  New build starts by quarter, Oct ober  2005 to September 2007, England 
			  Quarter  Starts 
			  2005  
			 October-December 46,037 
			   
			  2006  
			 January-March 47,236 
			 April-June 44,114 
			 July-September 40,940 
			 October-December 46,202 
			   
			  2007  
			 January-March 42,815 
			 April-June 40,149 
			 July-September 42,596 
			  Source: New build completions from P2 returns submitted by local authorities and National House Building Council (NHBC)

Housing: Energy

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified domestic energy assessors need to be in place in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) the Maldon district to allow a full roll-out of the Energy Performance Certificate scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The implementation update published on 11 June set out the criteria for roll-out of further phases of home information packs.

Housing: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes have been built within the Leeds, West constituency in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The Department does not have data on house building below local authority level. New build completions as reported by Leeds city council for the metropolitan district as a whole are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997-98 1,454 
			 1998-99 1,744 
			 1999-2000 1,952 
			 2000-01 1,984 
			 2001-02 1,928 
			 2002-03 2,002 
			 2003-04 2,948 
			 2004-05 3,123 
			 2005-06 3,229 
			 2006/07 2,685 
			  Source:  P2 returns as reported by the National House-Building Council and Leeds City Council

Housing: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the levels of overcrowding in Leeds, West constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department does not have information on the level of overcrowding for areas below Government office regions. The Department's Survey of English Housing shows that in 2003-04 to 2005-06, there were 30,000 overcrowded households in Yorkshire and the Humber, representing a rate of overcrowding of 1.4 per cent., compared to 2.5 per cent. for England.
	Overcrowding is a difficult issue that cannot be treated in isolation from other kinds of housing pressure. We recognise that it is unacceptable that children are growing up in overcrowded households and are committed to ensuring that we have a way to help these households that does not impact adversely on other issues of housing need.
	We are committed to updating the current statutory standards for overcrowding and have already taken legislative powers in the Housing Act 2004 to enable us to do so.
	Most of the 2006-08 National Affordable Housing Programme in Leeds was directed towards family homes rather than one and two person flats.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public expenditure has been made on affordable housing in the West Midlands in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 12 November 2007
	Housing Corporation expenditure through their affordable housing programme in the West Midlands region for 2006-07 totalled £98 million.

Housing: Low Incomes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her assessment is of the level of affordable housing which will need to be included overall in any planning applications to satisfy the level of assessed need in the South East over the next 10 years.

Iain Wright: Current Government planning policy for affordable housing in the South East is set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (2001). This states that affordable housing should be provided to meet locally assessed need, and includes a regional monitoring target of around 40 per cent. of total housing supply.
	This guidance will be replaced by the new Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South East, which is due to be completed next year. The current draft, prepared by the South East of England Regional Assembly includes an overall regional target of 35 per cent. affordable housing. The draft has been examined in public by a panel of inspectors and their report is currently with the Secretary of State for consideration. The Government will respond to that report by way of proposed changes to the draft RSS for public consultation.
	The targets in the RSS are not intended to be incorporated directly into local planning policies. Government policy requires local authorities to establish local targets, based on an understanding of need, the likely economic viability of land for housing within the area and assessments of the likely levels of finance available for affordable housing.
	Planning applications for housing should then be considered against local policy, and affordable housing provision in them is subject to negotiations between local authorities, Registered Social Landlords and private developers.

Housing: Prices

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government according to the English Housing Survey, how many and what percentage of homes in England were worth  (a) £800,000 or more and  (b) £1,000,000 or more at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	The Survey of English Housing does not collect data on the value of homes.
	However the Land Registry does publish information on the number of residential house sales over  (a) £800,000 and  (b) over £1 million. These data are for England and Wales only and are published in their monthly House Price Index report.
	 (a) In July 2007 there were 1,621 properties sold for over £800,000. This was 1.6 per cent. of the 101,582 transactions for the month.
	 (b) In July 2007 there were 888 properties sold for over £1,000,000. This was 0.9 per cent. of the 101,582 transactions for the month.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) Sunderland City Council and  (b) Sunderland Housing Group received for their housing renewal programme in each year since 2001.

Iain Wright: The information is as follows:
	 Sunderland City Council
	The amounts shown in the following table came from several sources. In addition, the city council received £5 million spread over the years 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Home renovation grants allocation  HIP (housing investment pot)  Market  rejuvenation  SHIP (single housing investment pot) allocations  English Partnerships 
			 2000-01 1.3 million 900,000 clearance — — 
			 2001-02 1.425 million 124,000 group repair — — 
			 2002-03 1.522 million 150,000 clearance area — — 
			 2003-04 2 million 1.2 million — (1)5 million (to be spread over several years) 
			 2004-05 1.4 million (SHIP) — 1.655 million (includes clearance areas) (1)— 
			 2005-06 1.4 million (SHIP) — 2.273 million (includes clearance areas) (1)— 
			 2006-07 681,000 (SHIP) — 932,000 (1)— 
			 2007-08 660,000 (SHIP) — 1.612 million (1)— 
		
	
	 Sunderland Housing Group (now named Gentoo)
	The following allocations have been received from the Housing Corporation to support housing renewal in Sunderland.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2003-04 3,105,118 
			 2004-05 1,519,680 
			 2005-06 1,519,680 
			 2006-07 5,277,170 
			 2007-08 5,277,170

Influenza

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings she has had with  (a) devolved administrations,  (b) regional government and  (c) local government representatives to discuss the co-ordination of any response in consequence of a potential pandemic influenza outbreak considered arising from Exercise Winter Willow; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State has had no such meetings. However, CLG Ministers are represented on MISC 32, the Cabinet sub-committee for influenza planning, and officials from this Department attend the cross government Flu Working Group led by Department of Health and Cabinet Office.
	The Department also sponsors the regional resilience teams, based in the Government Offices for the Regions, who have been working closely with local and regional agencies in their planning work across a range of resilience issues, including pandemic influenza.

Local Area Agreements: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of the local area agreement in Gloucestershire; which bodies are responsible for setting it up; and what stakeholders are represented.

John Healey: Local area agreements are an important means of improving the delivery of public services at a local level. They are the mechanism by which central government agrees a range of outcomes and targets with local partnerships. The local area agreement for Gloucestershire was developed through wide consultation in the county. It was signed in March 2007 by the chief executive of Gloucestershire county council on behalf of the county's Local Strategic Partnership, which brings together representatives from the public, private and third sectors. The Local Strategic Partnership has put in place governance structures and performance management arrangements to ensure that the targets in the agreement are achieved. The full text of the agreement can be found at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/laa. It contains a full list of the outcomes and targets agreed as well as of the signatories to the agreement.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) expects to reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Wycombe of 11 October 2007 on placing bids made by local authorities for monies paid from the Preventing Extremism Pathfinder Fund in the Library.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have now sent the hon. Member a reply.

Mortgages: Income

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of houses mortgaged in each of the last 10 years where the ratio of house price to earnings was  (a) more than 6:1,  (b) more than 8:1 and  (c) more than 10:1.

Iain Wright: This information is not collected by Communities and Local Government. However, for the UK, we have made the following estimates based on data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey and the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
	
		
			  Number of mortgages by price to income ratio, UK 
			   House price to income ratio 
			   Less than or equal to 6  Greater than 6 but no more than 8  Greater than 8 but no more than 10  Greater than 10  Total 
			 1997 1,050,746 31,656 11,230 9,963 1,103,595 
			 1998 1,030,377 35,115 11,600 11,179 1,088,271 
			 1999 1,179,639 44,620 15,464 14,175 1,253,898 
			 2000 1,043,624 47,181 16,815 15,341 1,122,960 
			 2001 1,207,137 64,580 21,093 20,901 1,313,711 
			 2002 1,249,509 89,449 30,076 27,761 1,396,795 
			 2003 1,025,385 130,147 50,201 46,184 1,251,917 
			 2004 935,632 174,841 71,398 62,931 1,244,801 
			 2005 798,731 124,523 49,157 42,310 1,014,722 
			 2006 924,932 120,789 42,352 37,937 1,126,010 
			  Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey and Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions the Regional Minister for the South East has visited Oxfordshire in the last six months; and what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each visit.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Minister has not visited Oxfordshire since assuming his post as Minister for the South East.

Planning: Special Protection Areas

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received about the application of the rule restricting residential development within 400 metres of a special protection area; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Dorset Heaths are a vital part of the natural environment of South East Dorset contributing to the area's special qualities. A substantial part of the Dorset Heaths form part of the European Network of Habitat 2,000 sites which reflects both their importance in terms of nature conservation and the degree of protection therefore afforded to them. The boroughs of Poole, Bournemouth, and Christchurch, together with East Dorset and Purbeck district councils have agreed to develop a long-term strategy for the protection of designated heathlands through the production of a joint Development Plan Document. This allows for more detailed consideration of mechanisms and measures to ensure the appropriate and necessary mitigation of residential development proposed to 2026.
	The document has reached Issues and Options stage and has been the subject of a consultation from 17 September to 29 October 2007. The Preferred Options public consultation is programmed for February 2008, a public examination of the submission document is scheduled for May/June 2009 and Adoption anticipated in December 2009.
	The Department has received representations from the hon. Member for North Dorset (Mr. Walter) (on behalf of a constituent), Councillor Alan Griffiths (leader of Christchurch borough council), Councillor Dr. Brian Leverett (leader of Poole borough council) and the managing director of Malbury Properties Ltd. in Poole.

Repossession Orders: Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many possession orders were obtained by registered social landlords in the Peterborough city council area in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not collected by the Department or the Housing Corporation. Registered social landlords (RSLs) are independent organisations regulated by the Housing Corporation. They must demonstrate compliance with the Housing Corporation's regulatory code and guidance, which requires them to seek possession of a property only as a last resort.

Towns Councils: Berwick-upon-Tweed

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will announce her decision on the setting up of a Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council in time for elections to that council to take place in May 2008.

John Healey: holding answer 15 November 2007
	I have approved the setting up of a Berwick-upon-Tweed town council, and we will shortly be consulting on a draft implementation order which will provide for the first elections to the new parish to be held in May 2008.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to assist local authorities to work more closely with Traveller and Gypsy sites on ensuring appropriate waste management.

Iain Wright: The Department has recently consulted on draft good practice guidance on Gypsy and Traveller site management. This includes guidance on dealing effectively with site and grounds maintenance, waste collection and instances of fly-tipping. Responses to the consultation exercise are currently being analysed and final guidance will be issued in the spring.

Fly-Tipping

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to encourage local authorities to work more closely with landowners to combat fly-tipping.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Waste Strategy for England, published in May 2007, includes the Government's Illegal Waste Activity Action Plan, which sets out action proposed and being taken in this area. This includes working with stakeholders to consider how the Flycapture database can be enhanced or improved to enable local authorities to better use data to take action against fly-tipping. This may include extending the scope of the database on a voluntary basis to landowners.
	Neither the local authority nor the Environment Agency is under any legal obligation to assist the removal of waste on private land. However, some local authorities are ready to work with landowners to investigate and prosecute repeated incidents of fly-tipping and to tackle specific problems or issues. The Government believe that to place a duty on authorities to remove waste from private land would encourage illegal dumping rather than tackle the problem.
	The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 gave courts the power to make an order against anyone convicted of the main offence of illegal waste disposal to pay for costs incurred by a landowner in removing waste that has been illegally deposited.
	In addition, the Environment Agency's National Fly-tipping Prevention Group identifies better ways of preventing and tackling fly-tipping on private land by working closely with organisations like the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, Network Rail and the National Trust, and has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with this problem.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of fuel used by the armed forces was transported into  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan by (i) air transport, (ii) ground transport and (iii) sea transport in each year since 2005.

Bob Ainsworth: Almost all of the fuel used by UK forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan is currently supplied by ground transport and has been since 2005. Other options are available should the operational situation require it.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much accommodation will be provided for marine commandos on each of the two new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 19 November 2007
	The Carriers will provide flexible accommodation for nearly 1,000 personnel over and above that for the ship's crew. Space available for embarked military personnel will depend on the size of the air group carried and the scale and type of operation being undertaken.

Armed Forces: Desertion

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) shortest,  (b) longest and  (c) average length of service was of members of the armed forces reported absent without leave between January 2004 and October 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Desertion

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ethnic background was of members of the armed forces reported absent without leave between January 2004 and October 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent improvements have been made to the treatment of ex-service personnel suffering from anxiety, panic and depression following their service in combat areas.

Derek Twigg: The Government are committed to good mental health and well-being for its personnel, both in-service and after they leave. For veterans, healthcare is primarily the responsibility of the NHS and in recent years there has been a special focus on mental health, with substantially increased investment in therapists and other frontline trained staff in order to improve access to proven psychological therapies. Veterans are benefiting from these improvements along with others suffering mental illness.
	We recognise that there are issues about ensuring culturally sensitive care arrangements for those whose mental health may have been affected by their service in the armed forces.
	The Government have a number of initiatives in hand to address this. First, in June we announced the extension of the MOD's medical assessment programme based at St. Thomas' Hospital, London, to provide assessments to any veteran suffering from mental health problems as a result of service in operations since 1982. The service offers an expert military assessment for GPs and other civilian health professionals who may be unfamiliar with the military background to a condition and for veterans who are concerned that the service background to their condition may not have been addressed.
	We work very closely with Combat Stress and last year gave £2.5 million in fees and have agreed to a phased increase in the fees we pay, rising to 45 per cent. from January 2008 to enable them to enhance their capability to treat veterans.
	For the longer term, the MOD is working with the four UK Health Departments and the charity Combat Stress to pilot a new model of community-based mental health care that will address assessment and treatment of veterans' mental health problems. Implementation of the new model will take place first in six pilot sites around the country. The pilots will run for two years after which they will be subject to full evaluation and, if successful roll out nationwide.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to ensure that ex-service personnel are aware of available help for stress and mental illness.

Derek Twigg: The Government are committed to good mental health and well-being for its armed forces personnel, both in-service and after they leave. Education and preventative measures to increase awareness at all levels about stress and mental illness begins when armed forces personnel are serving. These include pre-and post-deployment briefings and the availability of support, assessment, and (if required) treatment, both during and after deployments.
	Service leavers, particularly those who have medical problems or who are considered vulnerable, receive advice about the help available to them by MOD welfare services and are given information about the ex-service charities (such as the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress).
	Upon leaving the armed forces, responsibility for veterans' health care passes to the NHS.
	There has been much public focus on the mental health problems experienced by veterans including information on the sources of help available, and this is reinforced by outreach events and information from the Department. More specifically, plans to pilot a new community-based veterans' mental health service on a regional basis, will involve the establishment of networks of expertise in veterans mental health; these will provide specialised assessment and treatment, but also sign-posting to other sources of advice and support. The pilots include plans to communicate availability of the service both locally and nationally.
	We work very closely with Combat Stress and last year gave £2.5 million in fees and have agreed to a phased increase in the fees we pay, rising to 45 per cent. from January 2008 to enable them to enhance their capability to treat veterans.
	Details about the services available to veterans are available on the Veterans UK and MOD websites. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency also operates a freephone helpline: 0800 169 2277 that offers advice on a wide range of issues, including sources of advice and assistance. Advice and assessment is also available through the Department's Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) based at St. Thomas' hospital, London, which is advertised both on the MOD's website and through some of the main pathways to care for veterans; the MAP also offers a freephone contact line on 0800 169 5401.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of cold weather clothing were issued to the British service personnel that formed the roulement in Afghanistan as of 1 October 2007; and how many of each item were issued.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 124W.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Mines

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many BAE Systems mine resistant ambush protection vehicles are in the possession of UK armed forces; and whether any such vehicles are on order for UK armed forces.

Bob Ainsworth: The term mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) refers to a US programme to counter the threat from improvised explosive devices on current operations. The UK has procured the Mastiff vehicle from Force Protection Inc. to meet a similar requirement. This has been highly successful in service, and further Mastiff vehicles have been ordered, most recently the 140 announced by the Prime Minister on 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 24.
	There are no BAE Systems mine protected vehicles in service with the UK armed forces, although the Department is examining BAE Systems vehicles along with a number of others to meet future requirements.

Army: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval was for each battalion of the infantry in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: Historical data to support the calculation of average tour intervals for each infantry battalion are not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost. The most recent tour interval for each battalion is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Unit deployed  Last operational deployment (as a unit)  Start date  Previous operational deployment (as a unit)  End date  Last unit tour interval (months) 
			 1 GREN GDS Afghanistan May 2007 Iraq September 2006 8 
			 1 COLDM GDS Afghanistan October 2007 Iraq October 2005 23 
			 1 SG Iraq December 2007 Iraq April 2005 31 
			 1 IG Iraq June 2007 Northern Ireland March 2004 38 
			 1 WG Balkans October 2006 Iraq April 2005 17 
			 1 SCOTS (1 RS)(1) Iraq December 2007 Iraq May 2006 18 
			 1 SCOTS (1 KOSB)(1) Iraq December 2007 Northern Ireland July 2006 16 
			 2 SCOTS Iraq April 2004 Balkans October 1999 53 
			 3 SCOTS Iraq July 2004 Iraq June 2003 12 
			 4 SCOTS Iraq November 2005 Balkans October 2003 24 
			 5 SCOTS Balkans April 2005 Iraq July 2004 8 
			 1 PWRR Iraq May 2006 Iraq October 2004 18 
			 2 PWRR Iraq January 2005 Northern Ireland December 2003 12 
			 1 RRF Iraq November 2005 Iraq June 2003 28 
			 2 RRF Northern Ireland April 2003 Northern Ireland June 2002 9 
			 1 R ANGLIAN Afghanistan May 2007 Iraq October 2005 18 
			 2 R ANGLIAN Iraq May 2006 Afghanistan October 2003 30 
			 1 KORBR(2) Iraq November 2005 Balkans October 2000 60 
			 1 KINGS(2) Iraq July 2003 Prior to January 1999 — — 
			 QLR(2) Iraq July 2003 Northern Ireland September 2001 21 
			 1 LANCS(2) Iraq December 2007 n/a — — 
			 2 LANCS(2) Iraq November 2006 n/a — — 
			 1 YORKS Iraq November 2006 Balkans September 2004 25 
			 2 YORKS Afghanistan October 2007 Balkans September 2006 12 
			 3 YORKS Iraq November 2004 Balkans June 2001 40 
			 1 R WELSH Cyprus (Theatre Reserve Battalion) May 2007 Northern Ireland January 2006 15 
			 2 R WELSH Iraq June 2007 Iraq October 2005 19 
			 1 MERCIAN Iraq December 2007 Iraq October 2004 37 
			 2 MERCIAN Afghanistan May 2007 Afghanistan April 2005 24 
			 3 MERCIAN Iraq November 2006 Iraq October 2005 12 
			 1 RIFLES (1 RGBW)(3) Afghanistan October 2005 Northern Ireland July 2003 26 
			 1 RIFLES (1 D&D)(3) Iraq May 2006 Northern Ireland March 2001 61 
			 1 RIFLES — — — — — 
			 2 RIFLES Iraq November 2006 Northern Ireland September 2004 25 
			 3 RIFLES Iraq September 2006 Northern Ireland March 2005 17 
			 4 RIFLES Iraq June 2007 Balkans October 2001 67 
			 5 RIFLES Iraq May 2006 Iraq April 2004 24 
			 1 R IRISH Iraq July 2005 Iraq May 2003 25 
			 1 PARA Northern Ireland March 2005 Iraq June 2003 20 
			 2 PARA Iraq November 2005 Iraq March 2004 19 
			 3 PARA Afghanistan April 2006 Northern Ireland August 2004 19 
			 1 RGR Afghanistan October 2007 Balkans March 2006 18 
			 2RGR Afghanistan April 2005 Afghanistan April 2004 11 
			 (1) 1RS and 1 KOSB amalgamated to form 1 SCOTS in August 2006. 1 SCOTS is to deploy for the first time as a formed unit to Iraq in December 2007. (2) 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR amalgamated in July 2006 to form 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. Op TELIC 11 will be the first unit operational deployment for 1 LANCS. Because of the nature of this amalgamation it is not representative to carry forward the unit deployments of 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR to 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. (3) 1 RGBW and 1 DDLI amalgamated in March 2007 to form 1 RIFLES. 1 RIFLES has yet to deploy as a formed unit.

AWE Burghfield

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last health and safety audit was carried out at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield; what the outcome was with particular reference to the state of Gravel Gertie facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The most recent health and safety audit at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield was an inspection by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) during the period 5-9 November 2007. The NII have confirmed that no new issues were raised in relation to the material condition or functionality of the facilities, including the Gravel Gerties.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold a public consultation on the US's use of Menwith Hill base as part of the US Missile Defense Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The MOD published a consultation paper on 8 December 2002, "Missile Defence: A Public Discussion Paper", ahead of a full parliamentary debate on 15 January 2003 on the UK's involvement in the US ballistic missile defence system. The principles underpinning that debate have not changed, and we have no plans to hold a further public consultation on this issue.

Consultants: Contracts

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with external consultants; what the total value, including all VAT and disbursements, of these contracts are for the current financial year; how long each contract lasts; and what the forecast total value is of each contract.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I am able to provide details of contracts placed for external consultants in the current financial year for management and business consultancy, financial and accountancy services, corporate governance and audit, support to PPP/PFI projects and legal services and these are shown in the following table.
	Details of the MOD's expenditure on external assistance have been reported to Ministers since 1995-96 and summaries are available in the Library of the House.
	Furthermore, information on organisations, including consultancy firms, paid £5 million or more by the Department in each financial year is published in the UK Defence Statistics. Copies of this are also available in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Supplier  Start date  End date  Contract value 
			 Atos Consulting Ltd. 3 September 2007 2 November 2007 95,959 
			 Atos 1 June 2007 31 October 2007 99,024 
			 Atos Origin 9 July 2007 31 August 2007 26,745 
			 Atos Consulting Ltd. 1 June 2007 30 September 2007 99,289 
			 Deloitte 19 September 2007 31 March 2008 113,135 
			 Simpler Consulting Ltd. 1 October 2007 31 March 2008 60,000 
			 Simpler Consulting 7 May 2007 31 October 2007 125,400 
			 Simpler Consulting Ltd. 1 April 2007 30 September 2007 296,360 
			 Simpler Consulting 1 April 2007 31 March 2008 159,600 
			 Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Ltd. 1 February 2008 31 September 2011 7,000 
			 Bsquared Extension period 1 July 2007 28 February 2008 60,000 
			 Individual Consultant 16 February 2007 15 February 2008 7,500 
			 Partnering Solutions 10 April 2007 4 May 2007 19,000 
			 PA Consulting 1 August 2007 30 November 2009 140,000 
			 PA Consulting 28 June 2007 30 November 2007 45,000 
			 SMT Consulting 28 August 2007 2 October 2007 48,850 
			 Ward-Knight Ltd. 1 July 2007 1 October 2007 6,375 
			 Wyman Dillon Ltd. 1 September 2007 31 August 2010 60,000 
			 PWC 24 May 2007 1 July 2007 16,987 
			 Minty 2 July 2007 31 August 2007 69,976 
			 Individual Consultant 9 July 2007 31 December 2007 22,000 
			 Blue Edge 1 July 2007 31 July 2007 8,000 
			 Inspira UK Ltd. 24 July 2007 30 November 2007 17,150 
			 Water for Fish 1 August 2007 31 December 2007 46,000 
			 Intellika Ltd. 1 September 2007 31 August 2008 46,000 
			 Individual Consultant 1 August 2007 30 September 2007 4,000 
			 Individual Consultant 10 August 2007 31 March 2008 100,000 
			 Stanton Marris 2 August 2007 31 October 2007 25,200 
			 ORMultiView 22 August 2007 31 July 2008 24,240 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd. 9 July 2007 3 August 2007 45,000 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd. 9 October 2007 30 September 2011 2,049,411 
			 Individual Consultant 1 December 2007 31 October 2008 37,500 
			 Mentis Consulting Ltd. 26 September 2007 11 October 2007 12,150 
			 Blue Edge Consulting Ltd. 2 October 2007 11 January 2008 35,000 
			 Catalyze Ltd. 1 September 2007 30 September 2007 13,000 
			 Individual Consultant 10 September 2007 18 September 2007 7,100 
			 Harpum Consulting 14 September 2007 31 March 2008 13,250 
			 HASCAS 1 April 2007 31 March 2009 35,700 
			 Individual Consultant 17 September 2007 30 September 2007 5,000 
			 Individual Consultant 27 September 2007 30 November 2007 18,400 
			 Individual Consultant 22 October 2007 30 November 2007 5,000 
			 Individual Consultant 4 October 2007 2 November 2007 12,500 
			 Individual Consultant 15 October 2007 15 November 2007 4,650 
			 Beamans 25 October 2007 30 November 2007 5,135 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 1 June 2007 31 January 2008 550,000 
			 CROSSTC Limited 6 November 2007 31 January 2008 5,000 
			 Catalyze Ltd. 4 July 2007 20 July 2007 10,950 
			 KPMG 25 October 2007 9 November 2007 95,300 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 23 July 2007 30 September 2007 376,839 
			 Burges Salmon 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 391,288 
			 DWS 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 743,970 
			 Freshfields 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 97,410 
			 Individual Consultant 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 0 
			 M&R 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 15,585 
			 Pinsent Masons 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 34,101 
			 Sheppard & Wedderburn 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 0 
			 Wragge & Co 10 January 2006 10 January 2010 801,574 
			 Addleshaw Booth 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 423,906 
			 DLA 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 32,065 
			 Freshfields 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 0 
			 Sheppard & Wedderburn 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 6,555 
			 Simmons & Simmons 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 1,109,375 
			 Veale Wasborough 9 October 2002 9 January 2006 200,813 
			 Eversheds 9 January 2002 9 January 2006 50,514 
			 Masons 8 January 1998 9 January 2002 4,211 
			 McGrigor Donald 8 January 1998 9 January 2002 0 
			 Pinsent Masons 8 January 1998 9 January 2002 15,200 
			  8 January 1998 9 January 2002 691,343 
			 Total — — 9,803,585

Defence: Procurement

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which consultancy firms were hired for defence procurement in each of the last six months; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost was of each engagement.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I am able to provide the estimated expenditure on consultancy firms engaged by defence equipment and support to support defence procurement activities between April and October 2007. I have placed a copy of the list in the Library of the House.
	The estimates do not include expenditure on manpower substitution and technical consultancy.

Departmental Flexible Working

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff  (a) have applied to work flexible hours and  (b) work flexible hours (i) in the Department and (ii) the executive agencies for which the Department is responsible.

Derek Twigg: The number of staff who have requested but been refused flexible working is not known. However 1,055 requests to work flexibly have been approved between 27 November 2006 (when a centralised recording system was created) and 13 November 2007.
	There are currently 2,356 staff recorded as working flexible hours in the Department. This includes executive agencies and the figure above. However, some written requests for flexible working are made informally between managers and staff. These will be formally recorded locally.

Departmental Losses

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the list of his Department's losses and special payment cases in financial year 2006-07.

Bob Ainsworth: This information has been published in the MOD's 2006-07 Annual Report and Accounts (Note 31 on pages 270 to 274 of HC 697 of 23 July 2007). Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and are available on line at
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8A6AC2Dl-3CA3-4C12-82F8-5AD8C1800FFA/0/accounts.pdf.

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what entertainment or hospitality members of his Department's management board received in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Civil Service Management Code and Queen's Regulations set out the rules on acceptance and registration of hospitality by civil servants and military personnel. The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards. The first list for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current calendar year.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans resident in  (a) Enfield and  (b) Enfield, North constituency have applied for their Veterans Day badge.

Derek Twigg: Information is not held in the correct format to make an accurate assessment of the number of veterans resident in Enfield and Enfield, North constituency that have applied for their veterans badge. However, I can confirm that a total of 511 residents in the Enfield area have applied and received their veterans lapel badge.

Future Surface Combatant

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what strategic and tactical roles are envisaged for the Future Surface Combatant; and what guidance has been given to the design teams in respect of each role.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 19 November 2007
	The Future Surface Combatant (FSC) is expected to build on the capabilities of the existing Type 22 and Type 23 multi-purpose frigates that they will replace, as an integral part of the balanced fleet required to support the UK's future defence commitments. FSC is at the early stages of concept design and the detailed user requirements have yet to be defined.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Mastiff vehicles have been uparmoured in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan since 2006.

Bob Ainsworth: As part of the UK conversion programme, Mastiff vehicles are upgraded prior to deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. This includes the fitting of additional armour protection. Protection levels are continually assessed and improvements may in future be incorporated in theatre or the UK as necessary.

Libyan Arab Republic: Arms Trade

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors are taken into account when licensing military exports to Libya.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has one of the most rigorous and transparent export licensing regimes in the world. All licence applications are individually assessed on a case-by-case basis against "The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria". The criteria cover, in detail, how we assess each case. Some of the key factors considered include: an assessment of the nature and military capability of the equipment; the prevailing circumstances in the proposed country of import; the expected end-use and end-user of the equipment; the human rights record of the importing country; and whether there is a clear risk that the export might be used for internal repression. The criteria also requires us to take into account the risk of military equipment being re- exported or diverted under undesirable conditions. We will not issue an export licence for equipment destined for any country, unless we are satisfied the application meets the high standards of the consolidated criteria.

Military Bases

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's bases are mothballed.

Derek Twigg: The defence estate is kept under continuous review to ensure that it is no larger than required for defence purposes.
	Sites for which there is no longer a military purpose are disposed of as soon as possible. Sites which are retained though vacant, are either awaiting disposal or a decision as to their further use. Sites are not retained as a contingency against unidentified potential uses.

Military Bases: Security

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many breaches of security were reported at his Department's bases and headquarters in each of the last five years; how many  (a) arrests and  (b) prosecutions resulted; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: This information will take time to be collated as the data will have to be obtained from different areas of the Department. I will write to the hon. Member when the information has been compiled and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military units formed the UK's commitment to the NATO Response Force in 2005.

Bob Ainsworth: From January to June 2005, the UK's contributions to the NATO Response Force were the Maritime Component Command together with associated supporting forces, including a carrier and associated aircraft, a destroyer/frigate escort, mine hunter, auxiliary support and maritime patrol aircraft; and the Special Forces Component Command and associated support aircraft. The UK also made available elements in support of an air-to-air refuelling unit, and two airborne early warning and four tactical air transport aircraft as part of the Air Component. From July to December 2005, the UK made available one destroyer/frigate and one mine hunter to the Maritime Component; and 18 air defence/fighter bomber, two maritime patrol, four tactical air transport and three air-to-air refuelling aircraft to the Air Component.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military units will form the UK's contribution to the NATO Response Force in 2008.

Des Browne: From January to June 2008, the UK's contribution to the NATO Response Force will be one carrier and associated aircraft together with an escort ship (a destroyer or frigate) and a deployable air operating base (comprising four Tornado GR4 aircraft, and associated air-to-air refuelling, airborne early warning, and tactical air transport aircraft). The details of the UK's contribution from July to December 2008 have yet to be confirmed. All forces will be drawn from the Joint Rapid Reaction Force.

Nimrod Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many instances of fuel leaks from Nimrod aircraft have been recorded in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

RAF St. Athan: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to  (a) build and  (b) finance married quarters at RAF St. Athan.

Derek Twigg: Currently there are sufficient Service Families Quarters for the service personnel stationed in St. Athan. However, under proposals being developed for the Defence Training Review (DTR) Programme, a new Defence Training Academy will be built at St. Athan. The academy will bring additional service personnel to the area and accommodation for their families will be required. A project has been established to arrange their procurement in parallel with the DTR Programme and provision has been made to finance this acquisition.

Spearhead Land Element

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE); whether the SLE is fully equipped; whether the present SLE is deployed; and when the new SLE will take over from the present SLE.

Bob Ainsworth: The 3(rd) Battalion The Rifles form the Spearhead Land Element (SLE), which is not currently deployed. The SLE is currently fully equipped in accordance with the Joint Rapid Reaction Force Directive and operational mounting instructions. The next SLE will be provided by the 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, who will assume this role from 17 December 2007.

Territorial Army: Anniversaries

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government have for celebrating the centenary in 2008 of the establishment of the Territorial Army; and whether it intends to involve hon. and right hon. Members in such celebrations.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my predecessor on 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 41WS, and my reply on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2176W, to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison).
	Details of the forthcoming TA100 events have not yet been confirmed. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the new year, which will include details of the involvement of all key stakeholders in the celebrations.

Territorial Army: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparations are being made by his Department to mark the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army; and how much has been allocated by his Department to fund events related to this anniversary.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the announcement made by my predecessor on 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 41WS, and the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2176W.
	Details of the forthcoming TA100 events have not yet been confirmed. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the new year, which will include details of the involvement of all key stakeholders in the celebrations.

Territorial Army: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the central heating and hot water system at Colchester Territorial Army Centre recently broke down; what arrangements have been made for repairs or replacement; and when he expects the system to be fully operational.

Derek Twigg: The replacement of the heating and hot water system at the Colchester TA Centre was a planned installation, and work began on 8 November. It was hoped to maintain the heating system during the new installation using one of the existing boilers, but unfortunately this broke down on the same afternoon and it was discovered that replacement parts could not be obtained. Temporary heating was brought in to both the Drill Hall and the centre's offices on 9 November.
	It is intended that the installation of the new system will be complete by early December.

Territorial Army: Manpower

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest  (a) establishment and  (b) strength of the Territorial Army is for each rank of (i) officer and (ii) non-commissioned officer.

Bob Ainsworth: A detailed breakdown of Territorial Army liability figures by rank is not currently available. However, the overall Territorial Army liability as at 1 March 2007 was 42,000 which includes 3,500 Officer Training Corps.
	The total strength of the Territorial Army as at 1 March 2007 was 35,700. This is broken down in the tables:
	
		
			  Territorial Army (TA) Officers by paid rank as at 1 March 2007 
			  Paid rank  Strength 
			 Brigadier 10 
			 Colonel 90 
			 Lieutenant Colonel 340 
			 Major 1,670 
			 Captain 1,890 
			 Lieutenant 720 
			 Second Lieutenant 430 
			 Total 5,150 
			  Notes: 1. TA Officers include Group A and B, Mobilised TA, and excludes Non Regular Permanent Staff and Full Time Reserve Service. 2. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10 for statistical analysis and presentation purposes only. 3. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. 4. Numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. 
		
	
	
		
			  Territorial Army (TA) non-commissioned Officers by  p aid  r ank as at 1 March 2007 
			  Paid rank  Strength 
			 Warrant Officer Class 1 200 
			 Warrant Officer Class 2 1,070 
			 Staff Sergeant 1,290 
			 Sergeant 2,300 
			 Corporal 3,180 
			 Lance Corporal 3,450 
			 Total 11,490 
			  Notes: 1. TA Soldiers include Group A and Group B, Mobilised TA, Officer Training Corps and excludes Non Regular Permanent Staff and Full Time Reserve Service. 2. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10 for statistical analysis and presentation purposes only. 3. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. 4. Numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships will be built under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 19 November 2007
	The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project is currently in its Assessment Phase. As with all Defence projects, it is not until Main Gate approval has been obtained that decisions such as final vessel numbers are confirmed. It is therefore too early to determine the number of ships that will be built under the MARS project.
	The MOD is currently analysing the various options available to best procure the MARS ships, concentrating initially on the fleet tankers which are the most urgently required vessels.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Basic Skills

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1462-3W, on adult education: basic skills, how many of the learners included in the table were funded through  (a) further education and  (b) University for Industry.

Bill Rammell: Figures for adults funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) under the Skills for Life programme have been derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).
	The following table shows the number of adult learners (in thousands) aged 19 and over, and aged 25 and over who were funded by Further Education (FE) and by University for Industry (Ufi) and who could contribute towards the Skills for Life target in 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06.
	
		
			   Adults aged 19 and over  Adults aged 25 and over 
			   FE funded  Ufi funded  Total  FE funded  Ufi funded  Total 
			 2003/04 — — 210.7 — — 148.5 
			 2004/05 223.2 33.7 256.9 158.4 26.7 185.1 
			 2005/06 243.8 64.9 308.7 173.4 49.8 223.2 
		
	
	Please note that a precise breakdown between Ufi and FE is not available for 2003/04.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Spending Review 2004 targets; on what date each was initiated; how much each was expected to contribute to the target; how much was saved by each; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills came into existence in 2007, with its predecessors being parts of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills. As a result, the efficiency savings programmes for SR04 were initiated by these two Departments, with targets for achievement of £4.35 billion of gains by DfES and £380 million by DTI by 2007/08.
	The DTI and DfES put in train efficiency programmes to manage their efficiency gains. Details of their programmes and the underpinning initiatives are set out in the Efficiency Technical Notes which are included on the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) websites.
	The Department is jointly committed with DCSF and the BERR to the on-going achievement of these targets. We will set out our contribution to the achievement of the Gershon target in the DIUS Autumn Performance Report, which is due to be published in December 2007.

Departmental Manpower

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the full-time equivalent headcount in his Department is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for his Department is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The full-time equivalent headcount of staff in my Department is 727 staff. As the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created in the Machinery of Government changes announced on 28 June 2007 there is no specific headcount target for the Department but we remain committed to working with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to ensure that our collective position as three Departments takes note of the former targets for the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills prior to the MoG changes.
	The Department has not yet set workforce forward projections for 2008-09 and 2009-10, however, we will be operating within a strict (and reducing year-on-year) running cost allocation.

Educational Institutions: Fires

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many fires there were in  (a) further education colleges and  (b) higher education institutions in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the total number of fires in all further education establishments attended by each fire and rescue service between 1996 and 2005, the most recent calendar year for which data are available. The further education establishment category includes all post-school age educational establishments, including adult education colleges. Separate data are not available centrally for further education colleges or higher education institutions.
	
		
			  Table 1: Fires( 1)  in further and higher education establishments by FRS area, England, 1996 to 2005 
			  Fire and rescue service area  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 England 495 476 453 481 405 467 366 411 438 422 4,414 
			 
			 England: non-met counties 228 264 230 289 246 242 200 220 237 244 2,400 
			 Avon 10 5 9 10 6 9 4 7 8 14 82 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 4 2 5 16 
			 Berkshire 6 12 11 0 15 5 16 17 15 5 102 
			 Buckinghamshire 6 4 5 6 0 4 4 4 0 2 35 
			 Cambridgeshire 14 10 18 15 11 31 15 17 7 24 162 
			 Cheshire 0 5 0 4 4 5 0 9 0 6 33 
			 Cleveland 5 0 4 6 13 5 9 18 8 2 70 
			 Cornwall 0 5 7 5 0 11 4 0 0 5 37 
			 Cumbria 0 4 0 4 1 6 3 0 1 4 23 
			 Derbyshire 0 4 3 5 4 3 4 10 13 5 51 
			 Devon 6 4 11 14 9 9 0 5 14 6 78 
			 Dorset 9 5 9 12 0 4 0 4 4 3 50 
			 Durham 24 18 21 18 15 10 8 1 13 7 135 
			 East Sussex 11 15 0 14 15 4 8 8 20 14 109 
			 Essex 12 1 0 12 5 5 0 4 0 2 41 
			 Gloucestershire 5 4 0 0 6 6 10 0 5 1 37 
			 Hampshire 7 10 22 13 5 11 6 5 6 13 98 
			 Hereford and Worcester 11 14 8 9 11 0 0 0 0 2 55 
			 Hertfordshire 5 9 14 10 6 0 20 13 0 8 85 
			 Humberside 9 0 6 5 0 0 4 0 6 1 31 
			 Kent 6 10 12 4 13 7 0 4 0 3 59 
			 Lancashire 11 3 7 1 4 0 11 38 33 32 140 
			 Leicestershire 7 24 0 8 10 11 0 0 5 7 72 
			 Lincolnshire 0 5 7 0 5 0 1 1 3 5 27 
			 Norfolk 5 9 0 8 6 3 4 6 3 5 49 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 5 5 13 1 4 4 4 5 41 
			 Northamptonshire 12 9 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 2 31 
			 Northumberland 0 0 0 4 6 5 0 4 0 0 19 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 10 7 35 7 22 18 17 17 14 148 
			 Oxfordshire 7 24 14 18 32 15 23 0 12 10 155 
			 Shropshire 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 10 
			 Somerset 5 14 0 0 0 6 8 5 0 1 39 
			 Staffordshire 11 7 22 20 9 20 7 0 12 8 116 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 4 0 16 5 0 1 0 26 
			 Surrey 16 5 9 10 4 0 0 0 20 6 70 
			 Warwickshire 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 3 15 
			 West Sussex 1 0 0 4 6 5 0 0 5 6 27 
			 Wiltshire 6 4 0 0 5 0 0 5 0 2 22 
			 
			 England: met counties 266 212 222 192 159 224 167 192 201 178 2,013 
			 Greater Manchester 38 27 37 25 29 41 36 36 58 40 367 
			 Merseyside 30 15 21 24 16 16 29 0 10 9 170 
			 South Yorkshire 20 31 5 10 9 10 7 18 22 17 149 
			 Tyne and Wear 25 6 28 20 10 9 7 13 10 18 146 
			 West Midlands 38 46 50 47 36 49 46 47 39 36 434 
			 West Yorkshire 42 24 11 19 19 22 5 14 10 11 177 
			 Greater London 73 63 69 46 40 77 37 64 52 47 568 
			 (1) Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.

National Student Programme: Public Appointments

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how the chairperson of the National Student Programme will be selected.

Bill Rammell: DIUS will appoint a strong and experienced Chair to guide and oversee the work of the National Student Forum. The Chair will be independent of both Government and the higher education sector.

Oxford University: Applications

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of students in England who achieved three A grade A-levels at state funded schools or colleges applied for Oxford and Cambridge universities in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The information is not held centrally.

Students: Loans

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what rate of interest has been charged on student loans in each year since their introduction.

Bill Rammell: The annual rates of interest charged on student loans are set out in the table. The rate of interest is adjusted annually using the Retail Price Index.
	Student loans are not like commercial loans. Interest is only charged to maintain the value of the loan in real terms so after adjusting for inflation students only pay back the same amount as they borrowed.
	For the vast majority of borrowers with income-contingent loans the prevailing rate of interest makes no difference to the level of their monthly repayments, which continue to be deducted from salary at the rate of 9 per cent. of any income over £15,000 per annum.
	
		
			  Academic year commencing September  Interest rates taken from RPI at the previous March (percentage) 
			 1990 8.1 
			 1991 8.2 
			 1992 4.0 
			 1993 1.9 
			 1994 2.3 
			 1995 3.5 
			 1996 2.7 
			 1997 2.6 
			 1998 3.5 
			 1999 2.1 
			 2000 2.6 
			 2001 2.3 
			 2002 1.3 
			 2003 3.1 
			 2004 2.6 
			 2005 3.2 
			 2006 2.4 
			 2007 4.8 
		
	
	Interest rates apply to both Income Contingent and Mortgage Style loans.

Young People: Employment

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's policy is on improving the employment prospects of non-graduates.

Bill Rammell: The Department is committed to helping low skilled and unemployed people to acquire the platform of skills they need to support them in finding sustainable employment and progress in employment and in learning—represented by basic literacy, numeracy, and full level 2 qualifications. Over the next three years more than £11 billion a year will be invested in education, employment and training initiatives for young people and adults to help boost their job prospects. We are committed to progressively spend more on responsive and flexible training tailored to the needs of the individual and local job opportunities. Key interventions include:
	Spend of around £1.5 billion per year on learning below level 2 —including support for over 3.6 million learners on 'Skills for Life' courses over three years.
	Free, first full level 2 training for adults through the provision of over 800,000 places in 2010/11—a 30 per cent. increase on 2007/08.
	For the first time, funding will be targeted specifically at expanding apprenticeships for adults aged over 25. This will mean 30,000 additional such apprenticeships costing £90 million over the next three years.
	The provision of over 500,000 full level 3 adult training places (equivalent to 2 A-levels) in 2010/11 an increase of 148 per cent. on 2007/08. Free provision for those aged between 19 and 25.

Young People: Income

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average gross earnings of 25-year-olds who had  (a) no post-16 qualifications,  (b) A-levels,  (c) higher educational qualification and  (d) a further educational qualification were in each year since 1995; and what the most recent estimate is in each category.

Bill Rammell: The exact information requested could not be derived as a time series. Instead, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) was used to produce a time series with a broader age range and slightly different qualification categories to those requested. The following table shows the estimates of mean hourly earnings (in £s) by qualifications held for full-time employees aged 23-27(1) in England, using LFS spring quarter results from 1995-2007. More rigorous research by the Centre for the Economics of Education on the wage returns to qualifications is available in the House of Commons Library.
	(1) The age range 23-27 was used, because there were too few people aged 25 for the results to be statistically robust. Even with the age range used the estimates are subject to a fair degree of sampling variability and should be treated with caution.
	
		
			  £ 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Average 1995-2007 
			 Higher education qualifications 7.41 8.54 8.11 7.99 8.95 9.16 9.48 10.28 10.67 10.02 10.66 11.17 11.35 9.52 
			 1 or more A levels(1) 6.51 8.80 7.44 7.76 7.57 8.07 8.47 8.40 7.82 8.85 9.06 10.66 9.38 8.37 
			 A level equivalents including apprenticeships(2) 6.06 5.89 6.22 6.77 7.08 6.85 7.12 7.85 8.15 8.11 8.24 8.81 8.86 7.38 
			 1 or more GCSE A*-C or equiv/other 5.65 5.79 5.78 6.09 6.21 6.73 6.92 7.31 7.33 7.88 7.69 7.95 8.30 6.89 
			 No qualifications 4.96 4.91 4.97 4.79 4.94 5.26 5.91 5.70 6.79 5.69 7.11 6.96 6.14 5.70 
			 All 6.32 6.88 6.66 6.92 7.48 7.78 8.15 8.64 8.86 8.89 9.20 9.66 9.72 8.09 
			 (1) The "A levels" category includes all 'A' levels attained at all institutions (including Further Education institutions). (2) "Further Education qualifications" can be attained at a variety of levels. In this analysis the "A level equivalents" category largely consists of vocational level 3 qualifications, but will also include some with AS levels and also apprenticeships which may be at level 2. Vocational level 3 qualifications are often but not always obtained at FE colleges.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Antisocial Behaviour

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on tackling antisocial behaviour in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office Community Safety Unit liaises with both the PSNI Community Safety Branch and local operational officers on tackling antisocial behaviour.
	Tackling antisocial behaviour is one of the key themes in the Northern Ireland community safety strategy and has been identified by each of the 26 local community safety partnerships as a key priority in their area. The Police Service of Northern Ireland is represented on each of the community safety partnerships.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Telephone Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a geographical telephone number for the Police Service of Northern Ireland's non-emergency calls.

Paul Goggins: 0845 600 8000 is the primary number for all non-emergency services. This provides a single contact number regardless of the caller's location. The calls are routed automatically to the most appropriate answer-point within the PSNI. This provides an effective response for non-emergency calls and there are no current plans to introduce additional geographic telephone numbers.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Telephone Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people called the Police Service of Northern Ireland's non-emergency telephone number in each of the past 12 months for which figures are available; and how much revenue was generated by the use of this number over the same period.

Paul Goggins: The number of calls made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland's non-geographic telephone number for non-emergency calls, "0845 600 8000", in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Month  Number of calls to  0845 600 8000 
			  2006  
			 November 13,128 
			 December 11,913 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 12,874 
			 February 12,292 
			 March 13,319 
			 April 13,370 
			 May 14,635 
			 June 16,396 
			 July 16,210 
			 August 16,800 
			 September 16,064 
			 October 16,632 
		
	
	The PSNI contributes to the cost of calls made to this number and receives no revenue as a consequence of the use of this number.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Telephone Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people deterred from calling the Police Service of Northern Ireland's non-emergency telephone number on account of the cost of calls.

Paul Goggins: It is important to make a distinction between emergency and non-emergency calls in order for incidents to be prioritised properly. There has been good uptake of the 0845 600 8000 non-emergency telephone number line; for example last month 16,632 members of the public used the service.
	The levels of usage do not indicate that people are being deterred from making calls.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Vetting

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long the Police Service of Northern Ireland took on average to carry out a criminal records check in each of the last 12 months; and how many requests for such were submitted in each such month.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI has advised that they are currently unable to provide accurate figures for vetting requests received prior to February 2007, due to technical difficulties. The PSNI is working to rectify this.
	Once this is completed, I will write to the hon. Lady with a full response to her question.

Prisoners

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of  (a) the likely prison population in Northern Ireland in each year until 2012 and  (b) the number of places needed to accommodate it.

Paul Goggins: The current estimate for prisoner population used by the Northern Ireland Prison Service is based on a 5 per cent. increase up to 2009-10 and 4 per cent. thereafter and is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Projected average population 
			 2007-08 1480 
			 2008-09 1554 
			 2009-10 1632 
			 2010-11 1697 
			 2011-12 1765 
			 2012-13 1835 
		
	
	The Service currently has 1595 cells and plans to add a minimum of 180 additional places by end 2008-09. On 21 February this year I asked the Prison Service to carry out an options appraisal on the development of the estate for holding adult male prisoners. I intend to make an announcement before the end of the year on the Service's plans to meet the accommodation needs of the updated projected population.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to move any of its offices to Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no plans to move any of the offices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in his Department  (a) were disciplined and  (b) had their employment terminated as a result of a poor sickness record in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold central records of staff disciplined. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Responsibility for managing sickness absence (including ensuring the effective monitoring of sickness absence levels) rests with line managers. They are supported with a robust sickness absence policy and that includes return to work interviews. The number of staff who had their employment terminated as a result of poor sick records are shown in the table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 1 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2006-07 0

Gambling: Internet

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which remote gaming operators in respect of whom no legal proceedings are under way have been prosecuted for breach of section 42(1)(c) of the Gaming Act 1968.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been no prosecutions for breaches of section 42(1)(c) of the Gaming Act 1968.

Languages

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many French speakers his Department employs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on which DCMS staff are French speakers is not held centrally. Providing accurate information on this would incur disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games 2012: Tourism

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms are open to Faversham to advertise itself as a tourist destination in connection with the London 2012 Olympics.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 19 November 2007
	Local areas, such as those within Faversham and Mid Kent, which wish to market themselves as a tourism destination are advised to work with their Regional Development Agency and its regional tourism partners (in this case, the South East of England Regional Development Agency (SEEDA); Tourism South East; and Kent county council, working with the Kent Tourism Alliance). SEEDA, in collaboration with its partners, has developed a strategy for maximising the benefits of the Olympics in the region, "Compete, Create, Collaborate for a World Class Performance". This strategy focuses, for example, on the role of the region as a gateway to the UK and as a 'festival region' (thus taking full advantage of the Cultural Olympiad as well as existing festivals). Additionally, SEEDA and Tourism South East, with input from their sub-regional partners, including the Kent Tourism Alliance, will continue to work with VisitBritain by providing detailed content for its themed marketing campaigns and website. VisitBritain is currently developing its marketing and branding plans for 2012.

Religious Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many places of worship were restored for public use in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 14 November 2007
	 Comprehensive figures are not available for the number of places of worship restored for public use.
	In England, Government funding for places of worship is targeted on the repair of those that are listed buildings. Such funding is disbursed via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, and English Heritage's Grants for Cathedrals Scheme. The Repair Grants for Places of Worship Scheme is funded jointly by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. A further contribution is made by other award streams operated by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
	The numbers of buildings in England assisted by each scheme are in the table. Some buildings will have received funding under more than one scheme or in more than one year.
	
		
			   Buildings aided 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Listed Places of Worship scheme 1,989 2,279 2,289 
			 English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund joint scheme 250 212 225 
			 English Heritage Grants for Cathedrals 24 20 26 
			 Other Heritage Lottery Fund support(1) 269 227 205 
			 (1) Data are not available for all places of worship supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The figures provided refer to Christian buildings only.

Sports: Facilities

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population which is within 20 minutes of a multi-sport facility.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For the purposes of this commitment the Government have defined 'multi-sport' as access to at least two different sports facilities that are most in demand. In relation to 'good quality' there is no single nationally recognised measure that can be applied to all sports facilities. However, the Active Places sports facilities database (the main tool for measuring the commitment), holds information about the age of facilities and length of time since last refurbishment. We are using these figures as the measure of quality.
	Using the Active Places database Sport England are undertaking strategic mapping of the Nation's sports facilities and we know that over 90 per cent. of people in England are within 20 minutes travel time of at least two different sports facilities that are most in demand by the public (swimming pools, playing fields, synthetic turf pitches, health and fitness centres, sports halls and golf courses). We know that, of the built sports facilities listed on Active Places: pools, halls, health and fitness and synthetic turf pitches, 65 per cent. have been built or refurbished in the last 10 years. We expect to see these positive figures maintained in future years.
	The Government take the view that those in urban areas should be within 20 minutes walking distance of a multi-sport environment, while those in rural areas should be within 20 minutes driving distance by car. Urban and rural areas are defined using the "Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004: Introductory Guide", which was jointly published by The Countryside Agency, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Office for National Statistics, and the Welsh Assembly Government. The rural road travel times are based on the average road speeds derived from the Integrated Transport Network produced by Ordnance Survey. The urban walking catchments are based on a straightline 1.34km distance.

Television: Advertising

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the new restrictions published by Ofcom in February on television advertising of food and drink products to children.

James Purnell: holding answer 20 November 2007
	We welcome the steps Ofcom have taken to strengthen the regulation in this area, with further restrictions on food advertising in programmes of appeal to children under 16 due to come into effect in 2008. Ofcom will be conducting its own review of the effectiveness and scope of these new rules in autumn 2008. The Government will shortly publish a stocktake report of the changes in the nature and balance of food advertising across all media since 2003. In addition, the Government will continue to work with Ofcom and other key stakeholders to ensure that restrictions are effective and appropriate.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) households and  (b) lone parent households with dependent children in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the number of households and lone parent households with dependent children in England for each year since 1997.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   All households  Lone parent households with dependent children 
			 1997 19,816 1,291 
			 1998 19,924 1,335 
			 1999 20,052 1,383 
			 2000 20,222 1,433 
			 2001 20,523 1,476 
			 2002 20,720 1,524 
			 2003 20,904 1,566 
			 2004 21,062 1,591 
		
	
	The household figures for England are derived by the 2004-based household projection and estimation model using mid-year population figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The estimates predate ONS revisions to the populations released in August 2007.
	Lone parent households contain a lone parent living with one or more dependent child, but no married or cohabiting couples. A dependent child is one aged 0-15; or aged 16-18, never married and in full time education.

Jobcentre Plus: ICT

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in improvements to Jobcentre Plus IT systems; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 21 November 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what progress has been made in improvements to Jobcentre Plus IT systems. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Over the last 2 years, since introducing the Customer Management System (CMS) to improve the service provided to customers, Jobcentre Plus has listened hard to its staff and customers and put in place a number of measures (surveys, performance monitoring and focus groups) to understand the shortcomings of its IT systems and facilities. We have worked with our IT suppliers using this feedback together with hard evidence on IT performance to instigate improvement programmes.
	As a result we have:
	implemented improvements to the Customer Management System to improve its usability, performance and reliability;
	improved the underlying IT infrastructure to reduce the number of hardware and operating systems failures and therefore the amount of IT failures suffered by our front-line staff;
	implemented increased bandwidth and improved PC infrastructure to improve response time and communication between offices;
	implemented a single Customer Information System to bring together information on the people which we serve to improve our ability to re-use information;
	implemented upgrades twice yearly to each of our major business systems to ensure they keep pace with the changing nature of our business; and
	implemented a Fraud Management system which brings together consistent and accessible information to support our investigators in the continued battle against benefit fraud.
	I hope this is helpful.

Low Incomes: Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans are in place for people on benefits, low wages or with hire purchase schemes to receive assistance with the costs of contents and buildings insurance.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's recent financial inclusion strategy has highlighted the importance of insurance as a tool to help people to cope with financial pressure and plan for the future.
	The Treasury has asked the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to work with the insurance industry and the Association of British Insurers to increase understanding of the problem of exclusion from insurance, and to identify potential policy responses.
	The Taskforce will be reporting its initial findings to me shortly, and the Government will respond next month in its detailed action plan for financial inclusion.

Poverty: Children

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were defined as being in child poverty in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available below the level of Government Office Region.

TREASURY

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which members of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit are working on the review of academies; what their remit is; and when the review will be completed.

Andy Burnham: The review of the academies programme is being jointly led by a number of officials in the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in partnership with Treasury and DCSF officials in the academies group of the Department. Their remit is to review how the academies programme is meeting the objectives of turning around attainment in underperforming schools and how the programme is addressing a culture of underachievement and low aspirations in some of the most disadvantaged communities. The review will be completed before the end of the year.

Child Benefit: EC Nationals

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether EEA nationals living in the UK will be able to claim child benefit in respect of unborn children whose mother is living outside the UK from 2009 onwards.

Jane Kennedy: No—child benefit can only be claimed after the birth of a child. There is no provision for child benefit to be claimed before a child is born.

Child Care Tax Credit

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families  (a) were eligible for and  (b) claimed childcare tax credit in each year since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Information on the take-up rate of the childcare element is not available.
	Information on the average number of in-work families benefiting from the childcare element, based on final family circumstance and incomes, in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are published table 2.4 of the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

Civil Servants: Durham

John Cummings: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs have been relocated in County Durham as a result of the Gershon Review.

Andy Burnham: By June 2007 eight posts had been relocated out of London and the south east to County Durham as a result of the Lyons relocation programme.

Defence: Expenditure

George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the evidence given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and officials before the Treasury Select Committee on 22 October 2007, if he will place in the Library copies of all deflators used to calculate defence expenditure from 1997 onwards.

Andy Burnham: The Government calculate real terms public expenditure using the GDP deflator published at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/gdp_deflators/data_gdp_index.cfm

Departmental Public Participation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on  (a) citizens' juries,  (b) focus groups and  (c) other deliberative forms of public opinion research in each month since January 2006.

Angela Eagle: I refer to the answers given by my hon. Friend the then Financial Secretary (John Healey) to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 196W, and to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1495W. The workshops for the financial inclusion taskforce (per the answer of 4 December 2006) were invoiced in February to April 2006.

Engineering

Bill Olner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual contribution of the engineering sector to the UK economy.

Angela Eagle: The average annual growth of output of the engineering and allied industries from 1997 to 2006 was 1.1 per cent. Total gross value added growth in 2006 was 3.8 per cent. and 0.14 percentage points of this was due to growth in the output of the engineering and allied industries. The industry employed 1.9 per cent. of the work force in 2006.

Housing: Prices

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data sources relating to the value of homes his Department uses when formulating economic policy.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury uses a wide variety of data sources on the value of homes, including house price indices from the Department for Communities and Local Government, Halifax, Nationwide, the Land Registry, and others, for example internet based property listing firms. It also makes use of survey evidence from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Data on the overall value of the residential housing stock is available within the national accounts produced by the Office for National Statistics.

Inheritance Tax

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what figures he holds on the  (a) percentage of the population liable to inheritance tax in each EU member state and  (b) the rate payable.

Jane Kennedy: The number of UK estates paying inheritance tax in each year is less than 0.1 per cent. of the population.
	For the UK, it is estimated that, for those estates which passed on death in the year 2003-04 and for which probate was granted, 6 per cent. of the total value was paid in inheritance tax. The estimate excludes estates that were not notified for probate since that information is unavailable.
	Estimates are not available for other EU member states.

Iraq Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many studies his Department has  (a) started and  (b) completed into the consequences of the Iraq war for his Department and lessons learnt; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 November 2007
	The Treasury keeps a range of issues under continuous review, including the implications, for the Exchequer and the economy, of military operations in Iraq.

Lone Parents: Employment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of labour market participation was among lone parents in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each year since the introduction of working tax credit.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the labour market participation of lone parents. (166592)
	The information requested is given in the attached table. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Economic activity( 1)  levels and rates for working-age( 2)  lone parents with dependent children( 3) , by area of residence 
			  Thousand and percentage ( not seasonally adjusted ) 
			  Three months ending June  of each year  Middlesborough South and East Cleveland  North East  UK 
			  Economic activity levels (T housand )( 4)
			 2003 2 51 1,051 
			 2004 3 53 1,113 
			 2005 3 55 1,142 
			 2006 2 53 1,147 
			 2007 4 48 1,162 
			 
			  Eco nomic activity rates (Percentage )( 5)
			 2003 84 53 59 
			 2004 89 61 60 
			 2005 90 60 62 
			 2006 82 62 63 
			 2007 84 57 63 
			 (1) Economically active people are those who are either employed or unemployed, as defined by the International Labour Organisation. (2) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (3) Dependent children are children under 16 and those aged 16-18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (4) Estimates have not been adjusted for people with unknown economic activity status. (5) Economically active lone parents as a percentage of all lone parents. Base for percentages excludes people with unknown economic activity status.  Source: Labour Force Survey household datasets

NHS: Housing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether accommodation provided to junior doctors at a partial or fully subsidised rate by NHS trusts is eligible for tax as a benefit in kind.

Jane Kennedy: The same tax rules covering accommodation provided by an employer apply to junior doctors as to all employees. Whether there is a tax charge depends on the particular facts and circumstances in the light of the employment income tax rules.

NHS: Housing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Foundation Year 1 doctors' accommodation costs are tax deductible.

Jane Kennedy: The same tax rules covering tax relief for accommodation costs apply to junior doctors as for all employees. The correct tax treatment will depend on the particular facts and circumstances in the light of the employment income expense rules.

NHS: Standards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the investment-grade credit rating of  (a) the NHS and  (b) foundation trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: HMT is not responsible for assessing the sustainability of individual NHS organisations. Monitor oversee the FT Sector by applying a proportionate regulatory regime which includes risk ratings on the financial performance of the FT Sector. Monitor publish these ratings (one to five) in quarterly reports on the performance of the FT Sector.

Office for National Statistics: Internet

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the route is from the opening page of the Office for National Statistics website to access the time series for the Household Savings ratio for users who  (a) know and  (b) do not know the series registration code; if he will take steps to improve the accessibility of the information; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question on what the route is from the opening page of the Office for National Statistics website to access the time series for the Household Savings Ratio (NRJS) for users who  (a) know and  (b) do not know the series registration code. (166196)
	The series for the Household Savings Ratio (NRJS in table A40 of the United Kingdom Economic Accounts is published quarterly and can be accessed from the Office for National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk
	For users who know the specific time series, data can be accessed on the website by:
	Clicking onto  time series data under  quick links on the left hand side of the homepage.
	Under  time series data click  access individual series.
	Scroll down the list of releases until you get to  United Kingdom Economic Accounts and highlight this publication.
	Under the box showing list of  releases click  go next to the box  view tables.
	Scroll down list of tables and highlight table  A40: Income and Capital: Households and non profit institutions serving households.
	Under the box showing list of  tables click  go next to the box  view series.
	Scroll down list of series and highlight series  NRJS :HN: Households saving ratio: CPSA.
	Under the box showing list of  series click  go next to the box  add series to selection.
	Click  go next to the box  download.
	Click  go next to the box  view on screen. This will provide users with the data available for the series annually and quarterly.
	It is recognised that it is not necessarily that easy for users who do not know the series identifier or its location within publications to identify the series on the website. On the website at the foot of the home page there is a 'contact us' section which gives details of an e-mail address and telephone number for users to ask questions.
	The Office currently has a major project under way to review and improve its website, adopting the principles of user-centred design in order to ensure that it delivers the usability and functionality that its users require. The initial improvements to its website will focus on the area explaining the Office's new independent status following the passage of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 which comes into force in April 2008. Thereafter the intention is to roll out a programme of improvements across the statistical areas of the website by 2009.

Public Expenditure

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the Barnett formula; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the continuing appropriateness of the Barnett formula.

Andy Burnham: The Barnett formula was updated in the comprehensive spending review. The latest version of the Barnett formula was published in the statement of funding policy by the Treasury on 9 October, which is available on the Treasury's website:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

Public Expenditure

Denis MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by the Government per head in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Yorkshire and Humberside region and  (c) Greater London in each year since 2000.

Andy Burnham: Identifiable public spending per head in Scotland, Yorkshire and Humberside and London is set out in table 9.1 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2007 (Cm 7091) in April 2007.

Skin Cancer

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether figures for five year survival rates for skin cancer will be made available, broken down by region.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether figures for five year survival rates, broken down by region, for skin cancer will be made available. (165874)
	For England, five-year survival rates are available for adult patients (aged 15-99 years) diagnosed with skin cancer during 1999-2003 and followed up to the end of 2004, are given in Table 1. These rates are available on the National Statistics website.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14007&Pos=3&ColRank=1&Rank=422
	The latest nationally comparable five-year survival rates for England, Government Office Regions and Strategic Health Authorities, are for patients (aged 15-99) diagnosed in 1997-99 and followed up to the end of 2004. These rates are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991. These sub-national analyses of survival from specific cancers are only routinely undertaken for eight cancers; those of bladder, breast (women), cervix, colon, lung, oesophagus, prostate and stomach. Equivalent figures are not available for skin cancer below national level, and there are no plans to produce these or equivalent figures for other cancer sites.
	However, survival rates by socio-economic deprivation, trends in the rates, and NHS region for 58 cancers including skin cancer diagnosed during 1971-90 in England and Wales were published in  Cancer Survival Trends* in 1999. Figures for skin cancer, broken down by region are given in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Five-year age-standardised( 1)  relative survival (%) for adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with melanoma of the skin( 2)  during 1999-2003, followed up to the end of 2004, England 
			Five-year relative survival 
			   Number of patients  Percentage  95% CI ( 3) 
			 Men 13,196 80.4 (79.2-81.7) 
			 Women 17,005 89.4 (88.5-90.3) 
			 (1 )As cancer survival varies with age at diagnosis, the relative rates for all ages (15-99) have been age-standardised to control for changes in the age profile of cancer patients over time, thus making them comparable with previously published figures. (2) Melanoma of the skin is classified as code C43 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (3) 95% confidence intervals (CI).  Source:  Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Five-year age-standardised( 1)  relative survival (%) for adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with melanoma of the skin( 2)  during 1986-1990, followed up to the end of 1995, England and NHS region 
			   Men  Women 
			 England 68 82 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 69 83 
			 Trent 66 82 
			 Anglia and Oxford 72 82 
			 North Thames 66 83 
			 South Thames 66 82 
			 South and West 70 81 
			 West Midlands 71 84 
			 North and West 63 81 
			 (1) As cancer survival varies with age at diagnosis, the relative rates for all ages (15-99) have been age-standardised to control for changes in the age profile of cancer patients over time, thus making them comparable with previously published figures. (2) Melanoma of the skin is classified as code 172 in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9).  Source:  Office for National Statistics Table 4.5: Cancer survival trends by NHS region, selected cancers, patients diagnosed 1971-90: age-standardised relative survival rates (with 95% confidence intervals) at one and five years after diagnosis, and average increases in relative survival on the National Statistics website http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/xsdataset.asp?More=Y and published in: * Coleman MP et al (1999) Cancer survival Trends in England-and Wales 1971-1995: deprivation and NHS region. Studies in Medical and Population Subjects No. 61. London: The Stationery Office.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the average aggregate annual cost to those required to complete stamp duty land tax returns of solicitors' work involved in completing such returns  (a) in respect of all land transactions and  (b) in respect of those land transactions in which no stamp duty land tax is payable.

Kitty Ussher: Research undertaken by KPMG for HMRC in 2006 suggested that the total annual burden to business of outsourcing the completion of the land transaction return to solicitors as about £25.5 million. Details of this can be found on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/better-regulation/kpmg.htm.
	Of this, estimates suggest that 76 per cent. of returns are for transactions where no stamp duty land tax is payable. This is equivalent to 0.8 per cent. of the stamp duty land tax yield from non-residential property transactions in 2006-07.
	The planned increase in the notification threshold announced in last month's pre-Budget report would reduce this cost by between £5 million to £6 million, or by approximately a fifth.
	There are no estimates available for residential SDLT.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue which would come to the Exchequer by introducing a 5 per cent. band of stamp duty land tax for all properties over the value of  (a) £700,000,  (b) £750,000,  (c) £800,000,  (d) £850,000,  (e) £900,000,  (f) 950,000 and  (g) £1,000,000 in 2008-09.

Kitty Ussher: The estimated revenue, in 2008-09, of restructuring stamp duty land tax according to the seven schemes proposed in this question (where each rate only applies to consideration above the threshold for each range) are described in the following table.
	
		
			  5 per cent. stamp duty threshold  Additional revenue (£ million) 
			  (a) £700,000 1,540 
			  (b) £750,000 1,500 
			  (c) £800,000 1,470 
			  (d) £850,000 1,440 
			  (e) £900,000 1,420 
			  (f) £950,000 1,390 
			  (g) £1,000,000 1,370 
		
	
	These estimates do not include any allowance for behavioural changes.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the zero band of stamp duty land tax for all properties to  (a) £150,000,  (b) £175,000,  (c) £200,000,  (d) £225,000 and  (e) £250,000 in 2008-09.

Kitty Ussher: The estimated cost to the Exchequer, in 2008-09, of restructuring stamp duty land tax according to the five schemes proposed in this question (where each rate only applies to consideration above the threshold for each range) are described in the following table.
	
		
			  0 per cent. stamp duty threshold  Exchequer cost (£ million) 
			  (a) £150,000 130 
			  (b) £175,000 350 
			  (c) £200,000 590 
			  (d) £225,000 820 
			  (e) £250,000 1,010 
		
	
	These estimates do not include any allowance for behavioural changes.

Suicide

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 242-43W, on suicide, how many of the deaths in  (a) West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency of St. Ives,  (b) Cornwall and  (c) the UK were suicides in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking, pursuant to the Answer of 14th November 2007, Official Report, columns 242-243W, on suicide, how many deaths in (a) the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency of St Ives, (b) Cornwall and (c) the UK were suicides in each of the last 10 years. (166772)
	The table below provides the number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, in (a) St Ives parliamentary constituency, (b) Cornwall county and (c) the UK, for 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death( 1,2) , (a) St Ives parliamentary constituency, (b) Cornwall county, and (c) the United Kingdom( 3,4) , 1997-2006( 5) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   St Ives  Cornwall  UK 
			 1997 12 74 5,816 
			 1998 13 60 6,354 
			 1999 11 63 6,255 
			 2000 6 51 6,124 
			 2001 14 60 5,932 
			 2002 10 65 5,826 
			 2003 11 59 5,731 
			 2004 20 85 5,850 
			 2005 23 62 5,671 
			 2006 9 55 5,563 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989, excluding E988.8 for the years 1997 to 2000 for England and Wales, and for the years 1997 to 1999 for Scotland, and codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 for years 1997 to 2000 for Northern Ireland, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for the years 2001 to 2006 for England and Wales, and for the years 2000 to 2006 for Scotland, and codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 for years 2001 to 2006 for Northern Ireland. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2007. (4) Figures for the UK include data provided by the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Taxation: Construction Industry

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many CIS4 tax returns required further investigation in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many applications for CIS4 status were refused in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people hold CIS4 status;
	(4)  how many people made a CIS4 tax return in the financial year 2006-07.

Jane Kennedy: Under the former construction industry scheme, which ceased on 5 April 2007, the CIS 4 was a registration card which a sub-contractor in the construction industry needed to produce to a contractor in order to be paid. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) were required to issue a CIS 4 to anyone working, or intending to work, as a sub-contractor in the construction industry. There was no other qualifying test, so refusal was extremely rare. Any payment made by a contractor to a CIS 4 holder was subject to a deduction on account of tax which was paid over to HMRC by the contractor. There was no requirement for a tax return specifically connected with the CIS 4. At the close of the former scheme, there were some 1.9 million CIS 4 holders.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged between 16 and 25 years were not in employment, education or vocational training in  (a) 1990,  (b) 1995,  (c) 1997 and  (d) 2000.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of people between the ages of 16 and 25 who are currently not in full-time education or training or in employment in (a) 1990, (b) 1995, (c) 1997 and (d) 2000. (166733)
	Not seasonally adjusted and seasonally adjusted estimates for the educational status, economic activity and inactivity of young people are published each month in the Labour Market Statistics First Release in table 14, covering the UK for age groups, 16-17, 18-24, and 25 and over and are available at:
	http://nswebcopy/downloads/theme_labour/LMS_FR_HS/WebTablel4SA.xls
	The attached table has been derived from the published seasonally adjusted table 14. It shows the number of people between the ages of 16 and 24, who are currently not in full-time education or training or in employment, for the three months ending September each year. These estimates are seasonally adjusted. Comparable estimates are not available for 1990.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of people between the age of 16 and 24, by gender who are currently not in full-time education( 1)  or training( 1)  or in employment( 2)  United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted, 1995, 1997, 2000 
			  T housand 
			  Three months ending September each year  All persons  Male  Female 
			  1995
			 ILO unemployed 620 382 238 
			 Economically inactive 651 162 489 
			 Total 1,271 544 727 
			 
			  1997
			 ILO unemployed 481 305 176 
			 Economically inactive 560 131 429 
			 Total 1,040 435 605 
			 
			  2000
			 ILO unemployed 401 230 171 
			 Economically inactive 572 170 402 
			 Total 973 400 574 
			 (1) Refers to people who are not in full-time education or training. (2) People not in employment refers to those who are ILO unemployed or economically inactive.  Note: Comparable estimates are not available for 1990.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

VAT: Fraud

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many civil value-added tax fraud cases were adopted for investigation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what value of fines were imposed for value-added tax missing trader intra-community fraud in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the average sentence was for those convicted of value-added tax missing trader intra-community fraud in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1049W.

VAT: Registration

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many businesses have had a VAT registration application processed in  (a) less than three months,  (b) three to six months,  (c) six to nine months and  (d) nine to 12 months in each of the last three years;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on progress being made in reducing the time taken for verification of VAT registration applications.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not record processing times for the time scales requested.
	The improvement measures that HMRC has put in place are starting to have an impact. In October 2007, the average processing time for VAT registration applications was 28 days and 45 per cent. of applications were processed within the 14 day target. This represents a significant improvement since August 2007 when the average processing time peaked at 42 days. This upturn has taken place against an operational background that continues to present challenges, and alongside the ongoing need to operate pre-registration checks against serious abuse such as Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud.

Video Games: Research

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to HM Revenue and Custom's press release of 1 November, how much of the £150 million allocated by HM Revenue and Customs research and development units has been allocated to companies in the computer games industry.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available.

Wealth

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the nation's wealth was owned by  (a) the wealthiest 5 per cent. and  (b) the poorest 5 per cent. of the population in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates for the wealthiest 5 per cent. are published in table 13.5 on the HM Revenue & Customs website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/menu.htm.
	HM Revenue & Customs' methodology does not produce corresponding estimates for the poorest 5 per cent.

Welfare Tax Credits

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to make the system for claiming tax credits simpler.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson) earlier today (UIN 162340).

Welfare Tax Credits

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will  (a) simplify and  (b) improve the comprehensibility to claimants of the procedures for claiming tax credits.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC is developing services to support customers through the claims process as a result of the tax credits transformation programme.
	The improved support service already includes a new service which allows customers whose relationship has broken down to terminate their old joint claim and initiate a new single claim in one phone call, thereby simplifying the claims process at a time in their lives when they are most in need of the support tax credits provides.
	Other service improvements soon to be piloted will focus on providing the right level of support to the right customer in order to make their experience of claiming as straightforward as possible. Different levels of support will be offered to ensure that customers receive the guidance they need to understand the claims procedure and get the tax credits payments they are entitled to as easily and quickly as possible.

Welfare Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of increase was of  (a) child and  (b) working tax credit in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Child and working tax credits were introduced in April 2003. Information on the rates of the child and working tax credit elements from 2003-04 to 2007-08 is produced in table 2.1 of HM Treasury's publication "Tax and Benefit Reference Manual", which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Welfare Tax Credits: Finance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on administering each type of tax credit in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The costs of managing and paying working families and disabled person's tax credits are shown in Annexe 1 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report (footnote to Note 3) for 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and in the Inland Revenue Trust Statements at Note 3 for 2001-02, and Note 4 for 2002-03. The costs of managing and paying the child and working tax credits in the financial years from 2003-04 appear in Note 3 of the annual Departmental Trust Statements.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that tax credit award notices are amended to provide more extensive details on overpayments.

Jane Kennedy: The tax credits award notice was revised from April 2006 to give the customer more information about entitlement, overpayments and recovery arrangements.
	HM Revenue and Customs continue to keep the award notice under review.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was overpaid in tax credits in each financial year since 2003-04; and how much of this overpayment he expects to recover.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 20 November 2007
	Information relating to the recovery of overpayments of 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 tax credit awards is contained in Section 2, table 4, of the Comptroller and Auditor Generals Standard Report in the HM Revenue and Customs 2006-07 Accounts, which is available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accounts2007.htm. Information on recovery of overpaid tax credits in 2006-07 will be published in the HM Revenue and Customs 2007-08 Accounts, which are due to be released in the summer of 2008.

Working Tax Credit: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Wales received working tax credits, broken down by  (a) age group and  (b) sex in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the estimated number of in-work families receiving the working tax credit in Wales, broken down by couples and singles, and by  (a) age group and  (b) sex, as at April 3rd 2007.
	
		
			   Number of i n-work families receiving WTC (T housand) 
			  Age  Couples  Singles 
			 Under 20 0.1 0.4 
			 20-24 1.8 4.0 
			 25-29 5.3 8.9 
			 30-34 7.1 9.4 
			 35-39 9.6 12.9 
			 40-49 16.7 20.0 
			 50-59 8.1 6.3 
			 60 and over 2.7 0.8 
			 Total 51.4 62.6 
			
			 Sex   
			 Female sole worker(1) 8.0 — 
			 Male sole worker(1) 28.3 — 
			
			 Both adults in work(1) 15.1 — 
			 Female — 53.1 
			 Male — 9.5 
			 (1) "Sole Worker" is defined as an adult working at least 16 hours per week with second adult not in work.  Note:  The age used for couples is that of the eldest adult. 
		
	
	HMRC is currently running a campaign focused on 35 areas of the UK, including parts of Wales, with the aim of increasing take-up. The campaign runs from 29 October until 25 November and uses a combination of radio advertising and door drops.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Railways

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what railway construction projects are  (a) planned and  (b) under way in Afghanistan.

Shahid Malik: Many bulk commodities are brought by rail to Afghanistan's borders and then transported by truck around the country. In early 2006 Afghanistan began work on a railway project connecting Hirat city to the Iranian border at Sangan. 60 per cent. of the project is funded by the Iranian Government. Discussion is under way on constructing lengthier railways in Afghanistan. However, there needs to be a very careful economic cost-benefit analysis of any major railway investments to ascertain whether this is the best use of investment resources as compared with other priority investments.
	The Government of Afghanistan plan to focus on improving roads and airports as priority areas of transport over the next five to 10 years, as outlined in the draft Afghanistan National Development Strategy (AMDS) transport sector plan. Railhead transfer stations at the borders are likely to be improved so that the cost of changing freight from trains to trucks is lowered, thus lowering the cost of Afghanistan's international trade.

Afghanistan: Roads

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many kilometres of metalled road have been constructed in  (a) Helmand Province and  (b) Afghanistan since 2001.

Shahid Malik: We do not have detailed information on the number of kilometres of metalled road constructed in Helmand Province since 2001. However, we are aware of USAID funding for 8 km of metalled road between Lashkar Gah City and Qala-i-Bost and 40 km of metalled road between Lashkar Gah City and the Duari Junction on the provincial border with Kandahar Province. In addition to this, the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) have funded 5.2 km of metalled road in the Lashkar Gah District Centre. Under the DFID supported Helmand Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (HARD-P), 49 km of roads has almost been completed in Lashkar Gah, including Bolan Road (12 km); Qala-i-Bost (14 kms); Lashkari Bazar (8 kms) and Sarkar (17 kms). However, these are not metalled roads as they do not provide the best value for money. The current preferred surface option for the majority of rural access roads is the double bituminous surface treatment (DBST) method.
	At the national level, nearly 1,500 km of the 4,900 km national (secondary) road network, and several thousand kilometres of tertiary roads, all with gravel surfaces, have been improved. By June 2007, about 2,500 km of the original 2,900 km of paved regional road network had been reconstructed or rehabilitated to national standards and paved with asphalt concrete.

Departmental Hospitality

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to ensure that English wine is served exclusively or at the request of guests at meals, parties and receptions hosted by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: All public procurement procedures must comply with the EC Treaty. The key principles of the Treaty, from a public procurement point of view, are the free movement of goods and services, and non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality. This legislation is designed to ensure that all public procurement across the European Union is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
	This means that DFID cannot specify that it will only buy goods (e.g. wine) from a particular country or locality, as that would discriminate against producers from other EU member states.

Departmental Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people aged  (a) 30 to 39,  (b) 40 to 49,  (c) 50 to 59 and  (d) 60 to 69 years have (i) applied for jobs, (ii) received interviews and (iii) gained (A) temporary and (B) permanent jobs in his Department in 2007.

Shahid Malik: DFID complies with Age Legislation introduced on 1 October 2006 and does not ask people to disclose their age when they apply to work with DFID. However, after selection every new starter completes a personal data form which includes an age field and this information is recorded in our personal information management system.
	The number of temporary and permanent staff joining DFID in 2007 broken down into age groups is as follows:
	
		
			  Starters in 2007 
			  Age  Temporary staff  Permanent staff  Total 
			 30 to 39 15 22 37 
			 40 to 49 4 14 18 
			 50 to 59 5 4 9 
			 60 to 69 0 0 0 
			 Total 24 40 64

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what entertainment or hospitality members of the Department's management board have received in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: Paragraph 4.3.5 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality. The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards. The first list for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current calendar year.

Departmental Standards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to publish his Department's autumn performance report.

Shahid Malik: DFID's autumn performance report is expected to be published in the week beginning 10 December 2007.

Iraq Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many studies his Department has  (a) started and  (b) completed into the consequences of the Iraq war for his Department and lessons learnt; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 19 November 2007
	There has been no formal or specific study into the consequences for DFID of the conflict in Iraq.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Admiralty House

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what annual rate is being charged by his Department to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the use of the official ministerial residence of the Admiralty House flat by Lord Malloch Brown.

Edward Miliband: Details of payments made in 2007-08 will be available when the Department's resource accounts for the year are fully audited and laid before Parliament.

Departmental Assets

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what departmental assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the  (a) description and  (b) book value of each such asset is; what the expected revenue from each such sale is; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the list being drawn up of departmental assets planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11, including the  (a) description,  (b) book value and  (c) expected revenue from sale of each such asset.

Gillian Merron: The Cabinet Office is currently engaged in identifying assets which could be potentially sold. This work is ongoing and for the later years, may not be finalised until nearer the relevant date.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many applicants for information, requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to his Department requested an internal review in cases where the request had been turned down, in each year since the Act came into force; what the  (a) average,  (b) longest and  (c) shortest time taken was to conduct an internal review in that period; and what was the total cost of such reviews in that period.

Edward Miliband: Data on the performance of central Government Departments under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are available on the Ministry of Justice website at: http://www.foi.gov.uk/reference/statisticsandreports.htm. Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.
	The information requested in relation to the cost of conducting internal reviews could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Standards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish  (a) his Department's and  (b) No. 10 Downing Street's autumn performance report.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office intends to produce its autumn performance report 2007 (APR) to the timetable set by HM Treasury. The deadline set this year by HM Treasury for Departments to produce their APR is prior to 15 December 2007. There is not a separate APR produced by No. 10 Downing street.

Google

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Cabinet Office has made payments to Google in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office has not made any payments to Google in the last 12 months.

Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what legal advice has been commissioned on the pension claim by the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer; and how much has been spent on commissioning advice.

Edward Miliband: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed.

Voluntary Organisations: Computer Software

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the proportion of the voluntary sector organisations using Linux Open Source computer software; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: This information is not collated centrally.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Public Participation

Peter Luff: To ask the Leader of the House why no organisations from the West Midlands are listed in Annex 1 of the Government's Draft Legislative Programme—Taking a Wider View as having participated in regional consultation events.

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Leader of the House how many responses the Government received to its consultation on the Draft Legislative Programme; and how many of those responses were received via the Leader of the House's website.

Helen Goodman: The consultation on the draft legislative programme was made up of a number of events and activities. Debates were held in both Houses of Parliament, copies were sent to a wide number of stakeholders, Regional Ministers organised 11 events around England at which over 250 organisations were represented, and a National Workshop was held in London which was attended by 76 members of the public from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In addition the Draft Legislative Programme was published on the Cabinet Office and Leader of the House of Commons website. 106 responses were received in writing or by email and 30 were received by the Leader of the House of Commons' website. The Leader of the House of Commons published "The Government's Legislative Programme—Taking a wider view" on 14 November 2007 which summarised the activity that had taken place this year.

Departmental Public Participation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Leader of the House what steps she took to consult  (a) local authorities and  (b) businesses in the West Midlands on the Government's draft legislative programme published in July 2007; which organisations in the West Midlands were contacted about the programme; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The Draft Legislative Programme and other issues of key concern to the West Midlands have been discussed by the Minister for the West Midlands with the following individuals and stakeholders since August 2007:
	 Organisation
	Advantage West Midlands
	Armac Manufacturing Ltd.
	Arts Council England
	Audiences Central
	Big Lottery Fund
	Birmingham Chamber International Trade Team
	Birmingham City Council
	Birmingham City University
	Birmingham Conservatoire
	Birmingham Forward
	Birmingham Post
	Black Country Consortium
	Blitz Games
	Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Issues with Hereford Council
	CBI WM
	CBSO
	CEO Advantage West Midlands (AWM)
	Chairman North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership Development Group
	Chairman of Dermal Technology Laboratory (DTL Ltd.)
	Chairman of Rural Affairs Forum
	Chamber of Commerce Herefordshire and Worcestershire
	Aspire Housing
	Newcastle Borough Council
	North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce
	Staffordshire County Council
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Telford and Wrekin Council
	Transforming Telford
	City Regions
	Cobbetts
	Concordia
	Corporate Director AWM
	Corporate Director, Adult and Consumer Care, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Community Services, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Environment and Regeneration, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Corporate Director, Resources, Telford and Wrekin Council
	County of Herefordshire District Council
	Coventry University
	CSP-Birmingham
	Culture West Midlands
	Delivery Director AWM
	Deputy Leader, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Deputy Vice-chancellor, Staffordshire University and NSRP Board Member
	Director-Polytec Holden Ltd.
	Economic portfolio for Herefordshire Local Authority
	Elected Mayor Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Engineering Services, Telford and Wrekin Council
	English Heritage
	Environmental Officer
	Executive Director of Business Development Beth Johnson Housing Association
	External Development Officer-Keele University
	Fierce Festival
	First Light Movies
	Government Office for the West Midlands
	Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent and NSRP Board Member
	Head of Keele University Science Park
	Head of Mobility and Development, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Head of Policy, Resources and Social Regeneration, Children and Young People, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce
	Herefordshire County Chairman
	Heritage Lottery Fund
	Housing Corporation and representing NSRP Board Member
	Institute of Asian Business
	IoD Young Directors
	Ironbridge Gorge Museum
	Jonas Roy Bloom
	Key Attractions Group
	Leader of Hereford Council
	Leader of the Labour Group
	Leader of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Council
	Leader, Newcastle Borough Council
	Leader, Staffordshire County Council
	Leader, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
	Leader, Telford and Wrekin Council
	Mac
	Managing Director Holden
	Aluminium Technologies Ltd.
	Managing Director Hydro Logic Ltd.
	Managing Director Wilkins
	Chartered Surveyors Ltd.
	Managing Director Wye Valley Brewery Ltd.
	Managing Director Canefield Ltd.
	Managing Director of Dermal Technology Laboratory (DTL Ltd.)
	Managing Director of North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership
	Managing Director Urban Splash-Midlands
	Managing Director, Waterworld and NSRP Board Member
	Marketing Birmingham
	Mediabox
	Micron Sprayers Ltd.
	Moflash Signalling Ltd.
	Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands
	Natural England
	NFU Regional Chairman
	NFU Regional Director and Vice Chair of the RAF
	Pinsent Masons
	Play England
	Political Assistant to Mayor Meredith
	Portfolio Holder for Adult Services and Older People
	Portfolio Holder for Business, Enterprise, and Development
	Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People's Services
	Portfolio Holder for Environment
	Portfolio Holder for Public Safety and Organisational Development
	Portfolio Holder for Regeneration
	Portfolio Holder for Resources and Finance
	Prime-Med Healthcare
	Principal at the City of Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College
	Programme Manager RENEW North Staffordshire North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership
	Regional Assembly Regional Co-ordinator, Keele University
	Regional Director, North West and West Midlands English Partnership
	Regional Horticultural Chairman
	Regional Livestock Chairman
	Representing Hereford on the NFU National Council and a farmer from the west of the county
	RSC
	Screen West Midlands
	Secretary and Registrar, Keele University and NSRP Board Member
	Serious Games Institute
	Shakespeare Country
	Shropshire County Council
	Sport England
	Sport England West Midlands
	Staffordshire Police Chief Executive
	Steve Welling's Office Manager Telford and Telford and Wrekin Council
	Stoke Press Officer
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council and NSRP Board Member
	Stoke-on-Trent Locality Manager for GOWM
	Stoke-on-Trent PCT
	StreetGames
	Supporting officer Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Supporting officer Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Telford and Wrekin Council
	Telford Constituency
	The Drum
	Tourism West Midlands
	Transforming Telford
	UK Trade and Investment
	Vice Chancellor Keele University
	Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
	Warwick Arts Centre
	West Midlands Business Council
	West Midlands LGA/RA
	West Midlands Network of Rural Community Councils representing Voluntary and Community Sector
	West Midlands Regional Assembly
	West Midlands Regional Observatory
	Worcestershire County Council

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Companies Act 2006

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whom his Department consulted before he decided to delay the implementation of certain provisions of the Companies Act 2006 to 1st October 2009; and how such consultation was conducted.

Stephen Timms: The Government's decision to delay final implementation of the Companies Act 2006 was taken in the light of advice from the Registrar of Companies that he cannot be absolutely confident of implementing the necessary changes to Companies House systems and processes by October 2008. We did not carry out external consultation before making this announcement because this could not have affected the advice to Ministers from the Registrar of Companies. We are however consulting key stakeholders about the commencement date for provisions, such as those relating to the general duties of directors in respect of conflicts of interest, which do not necessitate changes to Companies House systems and processes.

Companies Act 2006

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the financial effect on companies as a result of the change in the proposed date for the implementation of provisions of the Companies Act 2006 from 1 October 2008 to 1 October 2009.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 November 2007
	 The Government recognise that companies need clarity about the commencement timetable for the Companies Act 2006 so that they can make proper preparation for full implementation. In particular, we wished to avoid companies making changes to their articles of association in the 2008 annual general meeting season in a way which would have required them to hold an extraordinary general meeting if the commencement timetable were changed next year. The Government have therefore decided, in the light of advice from the Registrar of Companies that he cannot be absolutely confident of implementing the necessary changes to Companies House systems and processes by October 2008, to announce a change to the timetable now so that companies do not incur unnecessary costs.

Nuclear Power: Security

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with the Director of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) on the problems reported in OCNS annual reports on the adequacy of security vetting in the civil nuclear industry.

Malcolm Wicks: In his annual reports, the Director of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (DCNS) reports among other things on trends in vetting demand and the performance of the OCNS Vetting Office in issuing security clearances for permanent employees and contractors in the civil nuclear industry. In the last three years, there has been an unprecedented demand for new clearances in the industry and many existing clearances have become due for review. This increased demand coincided with a period of high staff turnover in 2004-05 and backlogs accrued. In each of the last two years, however, the OCNS Vetting Unit has produced a very strong performance which has met this increased demand and cleared most of the outstanding work relating to the routine review of existing clearances. DCNS is confident that all this latter work will be complete by 31 March 2008.

Post Offices: Heswall

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had on the proposed closure of Heswall village post office.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 20 November 2007
	 None. The Government do not have a role in proposals or decisions for individual post offices and final decisions on which post offices will close will be taken by Post Office Ltd. (POL) in light of the responses received to the area consultations.

Renewable Energy: EU Countries

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources of energy in each of the EU member states  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the most recent date for which information is available.

Malcolm Wicks: Electricity from renewable energy as a percentage of gross electricity consumption is published by Eurostat. The information for 1997 and 2005 is as follows. 2005 is the latest year for which such information is available for all member states:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   1997  2005 
			 Cyprus — — 
			 Malta — — 
			 Estonia 0.1 1.1 
			 Belgium 1.0 2.8 
			 Poland 1.8 2.9 
			 Luxembourg 2.0 3.2 
			 Lithuania 2.6 3.9 
			 United Kingdom 1.9 4.3 
			 Czech Republic 3.5 4.5 
			 Hungary 0.6 4.6 
			 Ireland 3.8 6.8 
			 Netherlands 3.5 7.5 
			 Greece 8.6 10.0 
			 Germany 4.3 10.5 
			 France 15.2 11.3 
			 Bulgaria 7.0 11.8 
			 Italy 16.0 14.1 
			 Spain 19.7 15.0 
			 Portugal 38.3 16.0 
			 Slovakia 14.5 16.5 
			 Slovenia 26.9 24.2 
			 Finland 25.3 26.9 
			 Denmark 8.8 28.2 
			 Romania 30.5 35.8 
			 Latvia 46.7 48.4 
			 Sweden 49.1 54.3 
			 Austria 67.2 57.9 
			 EU (27 countries) 13.1 14.0 
			  Source: Eurostat http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Belarus: Human Rights

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government intend to make representations on alleged abuses of the criminal justice system by the Government of Belarus to that government.

Jim Murphy: The Government remain deeply concerned by abuses of the criminal justice system in Belarus by its government. The UK and other EU member states do not have ministerial level contact with the regime in Belarus: we regularly make representations through our embassies on human rights concerns.

Burma: Sanctions

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is Government policy to support further EU action against the Burmese regime by imposing EU sanctions in the oil and gas sectors; and when he last discussed the subject with his French counterpart.

Kim Howells: EU partners are in general agreement that any new measures should be targeted towards sources of revenue for the regime. The UK would, therefore, be prepared to consider additional measures that would include the oil and gas sector. Whether these new measures are brought against the Burmese regime depends on the regime's willingness to allow a real political transition to begin.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed the subject with his French counterpart at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, which took place on 15 October. Since then Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been in regular contact with their French counterparts on this issue.

Burma: Sanctions

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is Government policy to support  (a) further UN sanctions and  (b) economic incentives in relation to the Burmese regime; and which option the UK's partners on the UN Security Council favour.

Kim Howells: The Government support the use of targeted sanctions against the Burmese regime. We expect to secure an amended EU Common Position at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 19-20 November, extending EU sanctions against Burma.
	The Government fully support the efforts of the UN to bring about meaningful political dialogue and national reconciliation in Burma. The Government also recognise that there is a role for economic initiatives, conditional on progress with reconciliation and democracy. To that end, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to the UN Secretary-General on 16 October outlining the case for the international community to pursue such an economic initiative. There is broad support within the UN for maintaining all forms of pressure on the regime for change.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for brand management and marketing in his Department and its agencies.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its agencies has 12 full-time equivalent staff responsible for brand management and marketing. This includes FCO Services, UKvisas, Consular Directorate, and Wilton Park.

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out his strategy to strengthen democratic capacity in developing nations over the next three years.

Kim Howells: holding answer 21 November 2007
	The UK is committed to promoting democratic principles and values around the world. Our approach is grounded in our upholding universal human rights standards to which all countries are bound as well as giving support to democratic institutions, good governance and the rule of law. Democracy is built on rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, association, movement and information.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports democratic capacity through:
	supporting relevant initiatives in international organisations like the UN, EU, African Union, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Commonwealth;
	promoting a common approach to good governance in international bodies and helping to mainstream good governance in development co-operation;
	encouraging fair electoral processes, including through support for effective international electoral observations missions and follow up;
	contributing to the European Instrument on Democracy and Human Rights;
	lobbying and supporting governments to develop pluralist political systems and effective parliamentary institutions;
	promoting freedom of expression, including support for free media; and
	supporting partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), human rights defenders and professional bodies and participation of civil society in decision making.
	We do this through our network of missions around the world as well as through international organisations and the EU, and with NGOs and civil society. We also support the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, through £4.1 million grant-in-aid in this financial year.
	Further information on the Government's work on human rights, democracy and governance can be found in the FCO's 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights, which is on the FCO's website: www.fco.gov.uk. Copies of the report are also available in the Libraries of both Houses. In addition, the FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) jointly launched a DFID publication this summer, entitled "Governance, Development and Democratic Politics" which highlighted the value the Government place on democratic politics as a set of principles and values which ensure that differences can be negotiated peacefully, and the views of all heard.

Employment Tribunal Service

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by his Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Kim Howells: Between July 2006 and June 2007 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office paid £134,445 in legal costs in relation to employment tribunal claims.

Entry Clearances: Biometrics

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the targets to record biometrics for  (a) most visa applicants by the end of 2007 and  (b) all by the end of 2008 will be met.

Kim Howells: Our commitment is to collect biometric data from all visa applicants by the end of March 2008. We fully expect to deliver this by, or before, March 2008.
	We expect to be collecting biometric data from most visa applicants by the end of 2007. We are currently collecting biometric data from all visa applicants in 115 countries, including China, Russia, Nigeria and Pakistan. On completion, we will be collecting biometric data from all visa applicants in all 135 countries where visas are issued or applications accepted.

EU Reform: Treaties

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the proposals in the draft EU Reform Treaty on the presidency of the European Council.

Jim Murphy: The UK strongly supports a full-time President of the European Council serving for two and a half years in place of the current system where the President of the European Council changes every six months. The President of the European Council will be chosen by and accountable to the leaders of national governments. A full-time Chair of the European Council will bring greater coherence and consistency to the EU's actions; and will give member states greater capacity to give direction and momentum to the EU's agenda.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give an assessment of the changes made to the access arrangements to and from the Gaza Strip since 14 June.

Kim Howells: Since Hamas seized control of Gaza on 14 June, the majority of crossings into Gaza have remained closed. As of 12 November, only two crossings into Gaza are operating: Kerem Shalom: for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies; and Erez: for personnel movement (workers and traders) to and from Israel and the West Bank. The Erez crossing opening hours have, however, been reduced.
	There is a pressing economic and humanitarian need to overcome the obstacles to re-opening Gaza's crossings. The Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) has expressed concern over the continued closure of major crossing points. The UN is actively involved in trying to find a solution. The EU has called on all parties to work towards an opening of the crossings in and out of Gaza. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue on his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 17 and 18 November.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his comments of 12 November 2007,  Official Report, column 405, on the Debate on the address, whether in his assessment the access and egress arrangements for the local population in Gaza were satisfactory before 14 June.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett) said in a written answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 242W.
	"It is essential that progress is made on movement and access in, and between, the West Bank and Gaza and security sector transformation to ensure a viable future Palestinian state. This requires the active engagement of both parties. In the meantime, we will continue to call upon both parties to implement their commitments under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and support US Security Co-ordinator General Dayton's plans on security sector transformation."
	We have regularly called on both parties to implement the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. The 23 April EU General Affairs External Relations Council recalled
	"the utmost importance of the full implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access. It urges that Rafah and all other crossing points, notably Kami, be reopened and remain open".

Iran: Sanctions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on sanctions against Iran; and what the role of the House is in the formulation of any such policy in relation to the use of the armed forces.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his Guildhall speech on 12 November, Iran has a choice—confrontation with the international community leading to a tightening of sanctions or, if it changes its approach, a transformed relationship with the world. Iran has so far chosen to continue with its nuclear proliferation-sensitive activities, as the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report (on 15 November) makes clear. In response, we must increase the pressure on Iran to persuade it to comply with its international obligations. The UK will work for a further sanctions resolution at the UN Security Council as well as EU and unilateral measures, ranging from prohibitions on investment in oil and gas sectors, to denying Iran access to export credit finance.
	While the House has no formal role in formulating Iran sanctions policy, both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I set great store by the views of the House. We answer regular parliamentary questions and stay in close touch with the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC). I will be giving evidence before the FAC myself later this month following its visit this month to Iran.

Kosovo

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet with his Serbian counterpart to discuss the status of Kosovo.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the Kosovo status process with Vuk Jereniic, Minister of Foreign Affairs, when they met in London on 18 September 2007. We maintain a regular dialogue with the authorities in Belgrade on the Kosovo status process.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the  (a) Government of Israel and  (b) Palestinian Authority have accepted the roadmap.

Kim Howells: The roadmap was presented to, and agreed by, both parties in April 2003. Israel has indicated 14 reservations. These reservations focus primarily on the Palestinian Authority taking action on security and the importance of the US playing a monitoring role. Israel also emphasised that any action it might take on freedom of movement would be subject to security conditions.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of the peace talks scheduled for Annapolis in November being attended by those countries whose territory is occupied by Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The US and Israel have indicated that they would be willing for Syria to attend the Annapolis meeting. We support their position. It will be for the Syrians to decide whether or not to attend. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch Brown, and I met the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Dardari on 8 November, during which we encouraged Syria to engage constructively in the meeting.
	The meeting in Annapolis will be key to moving the peace process forward. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 8 October,  Official Report, column 24
	"we would like to see an agreement that puts the Israelis and Palestinians on a path to real negotiations in 2008, leading to a final settlement of two states living side by side in peace and security."

National Security

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 14 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 667-86 on national security, on what projects the Foreign Office's share of the £400 million allocated to tackling radicalisation and promoting understanding overseas will be spent; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 21 November 2007
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on 14 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 667-672, the Government will report back on action overseas with other countries to counter extremism when we launch the full national security strategy.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last held discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on the political situation in Pakistan.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary called former Foreign Minister Kasuri most recently on 5 November to discuss the situation in Pakistan. He spoke to the then Prime Minister Aziz on 5 November. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, spoke to the then Prime Minister Aziz on 12 November.

Palestinians: Travel Restrictions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Israel on roadblocks, checkpoints and other restrictions on movement within the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and on which occasions such representations have been made formally since the Mecca agreement of 8 February 2007.

Kim Howells: The implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access stalled following the election of Hamas in January 2006. We continue to call on both the Israelis and the Palestinians to implement the agreement. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about movement and access with the Government of Israel. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue on his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 17 and 18 November.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government on the situation in that country.

Kim Howells: My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch- Brown, last met the Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama, on 12 November in London. They also met in September in New York. In these meetings, the overriding message delivered by my noble Friend was to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to act with much greater urgency to find a lasting political solution and to avoid a descent into war.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of other EU member states on Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: EU member states met in Brussels on 15 November to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka. We shall continue to stay in close contact with EU member states and the European Commission.

Uganda: Human Rights

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the issues of  (a) human rights,  (b) corruption and  (c) attacks on the judiciary and the press are on the agenda of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Uganda; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I can confirm that my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will discuss these issues at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Young People

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs of the pilots for good behaviour youth cards announced on 8 March 2006 were; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The intention to pilot a youth opportunity card in 10 local authority areas was announced on 8 March 2006 as part of the Youth Matters: Next Steps. The project focused on enabling disadvantaged young people to take part in positive activities that many young people take for granted by giving them the means to pay for activities. In February 2007 we announced that we would not be proceeding with the pilots because uncertainties around the delivery solution and the potential costs meant that value for money could not be assured. The total cost of the youth opportunity card project, from December 2005 to February 2007, was £2.4 million.
	The work carried out on the youth opportunity card has provided a solid foundation from which to build, and we have continued to work with nine of the pilot local authorities to develop alternative ways of empowering disadvantaged young people to take part in positive activities of their choice. In September I announced that these nine authorities will be piloting different approaches to giving individual disadvantaged young people spending power to pay for positive activities of their choice. All nine pilots are currently expected to start by April 2008 and run until March 2009.

Asylum: Children

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence of costs incurred is taken into account by her Department in setting the level of grants to local authorities for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 November 2007
	The basis of the grant payment made to local authorities in respect of unaccompanied asylum seeking children is set out in the Home Office grant instructions for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.

Asylum: Surrey

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children seeking asylum are resident in Surrey.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records, only at disproportionate cost.
	Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support are available broken down by Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency.

Cannabis: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests of cannabis users were made in each of the last 10 years; and what she estimates the cost to police resources was of making these arrests in each police force area.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally. The arrests collection undertaken by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform provides data only on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group, i.e. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, drugs offences etc. More detailed data about specific offences do not form part of this collection.

Custody Plus Scheme

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to introduce the custody plus provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	No decision has yet been taken as to when custody plus will be introduced.

Data Protection: Passengers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) airlines,  (b) ferry operators and  (c) international rail service operators will be required to provide passenger name record information (i) as a matter of course and (ii) upon request from March 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Legislation will shortly be introduced to require carriers to provide travel document information (TDI) together with passenger name record data (PNR) (otherwise known as other passenger information (OPI)) to e-Borders to the extent that it is known to the carrier.
	From March 2008 those carriers which provide OPI data under existing arrangements to Project Semaphore, the e-Borders pilot project, will be expected to continue to do so. The Government have funded transmission and transaction costs together with some systems change costs of participation in this pilot. Analysis of both OPI and TDI data have delivered significant operational benefits to border agencies, contributing to the arrest of individuals wanted for offences including murder, drug smuggling, rape and assault; and has led to the seizure of counterfeit travel documents, drugs and contraband. This arrangement however, was always with the understanding that the funding would cease in March 2008 and we will continue to fulfil our undertaking to industry to meet these costs until then.
	The e-Borders Programme will cover the majority of passenger movements by 2009 and is committed to using all reasonable efforts to achieve a fair and equitable roll-out. This will be implemented progressively, in a consultative and collaborative manner with carriers and port operators.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff  (a) have applied to work flexible hours and  (b) work flexible hours (i) in the Department and (ii) the executive agencies for which the Department is responsible.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office recognises that all staff need to find a balance between their work and home life and the Department promotes flexible working as part of a range of work life balance options for staff. The option of working flexibly is open to all staff, including those staff with a statutory right to request a flexible working pattern on the basis that they are either working parents or carers.
	Applications are subject to local management agreement, based on a number of factors including the particular circumstances of the request and the business and operational needs of the department.
	Information about the number of individuals who make applications to work flexibly is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However the overall number of staff working flexibly is held centrally and the figures for the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, Criminal Records Bureau and the Identity and Passport Service are set out in the following table .
	All members of staff have the opportunity to use the Department's and agencies' flexi time systems.
	
		
			  Staff numbers as at 31 October 2007  Home Office HQ  Border and Immigration Agency  Identity and Passport Service  Criminal Records Bureau 
			 Total staff 3,834 19,741 4,114 446 
			 Staff working flexibly 380 3,250 1,279 64

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations undertaken by her Department have not been open to the public in the last year.

Liam Byrne: Public consultation exercises run by the Home Office follow the Government's code of practice on consultation which sets out the basic principles for conducting effective formal written consultations. When undertaking such consultations we often engage proactively with individuals, organisations and trade associations. As the code explains, written formal consultations are not the only or even always the most effective means of consultation. Other forms of informal consultation such as stakeholder meetings, focus groups, regional events may help in this process. A list of the public consultations undertaken this year can be found at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/
	www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/consultationdocuments/

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what entertainment or hospitality members of the Department's management board have received in each of the last three financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Paragraph 4.3.5 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality. The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards. The first list for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current calendar year.

Entry Clearances

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 24 October 2007,  Official Report, column 346W, on entry clearances, whether she plans to collect and collate data on applications for indefinite leave to remain for individuals on a  (a) constituency basis and  (b) local authority area basis; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: As part of the Border and Immigration Agency's transition to full Agency status (and notwithstanding the announcement on 13 November about the creation of the new UK Border Agency), it has begun to make more data available to its partners, including local authorities to help them deliver, and eliminate abuse of, their services. In support of this, the Agency is examining whether any changes will be required to its current data collection and collation arrangements in respect of the location of those applying for indefinite leave to remain applications, and in other categories.
	However, any geographical data that is provided will be based on a 'snapshot' of where individual applicants were located on the last occasion that they needed to be in official contact with the Agency. The data will therefore be limited in its application (and this limitation will apply to any data that is derived from address or postcode information that the Agency holds).

Foreigners: Graduates

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of foreign nationals who will remain in the UK in 2008 as a result of the international graduate scheme.

Liam Byrne: No formal estimates have been made of the numbers of foreign nationals who will remain in the UK in 2008 as a result of the International Graduates Scheme (IGS). IGS participants who wish to remain in the UK beyond their 12 months leave are able to switch into the various employment and self-employment categories provided they meet the relevant requirements.

Fraud: Motor Vehicles

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had discussions with  (a) the insurance industry and  (b) the Insurance Fraud Bureau on the establishment of a national strategy to tackle staged and induced motor accidents.

Vernon Coaker: Home Office Ministers and officials have regular contact with representatives of the insurance industry and the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
	A wide-ranging cross-Whitehall review of fraud, which reported last year, recommended a national strategy on fraud, overseen by a National Fraud Strategic Authority (NFSA). The review and its recommendations were not specific to insurance fraud but a national strategy would cover this type of activity. The Comprehensive Spending Review made funds available to establish the NFSA; the Home Office and the Association of British Insurers are both actively involved in this process.

Human Trafficking: Prostitution

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will set up an anonymous helpline for members of the public to report suspicions of sex workers who have been  (a) trafficked and  (b) subject to coercion.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 November 2007
	We have no plans to set up an anonymous helpline specifically on these issues. The Crimestoppers helpline is already available for members of the public to report crimes of any nature, anonymously.
	The Government's coordinated prostitution strategy, published in January 2006, has delivered a number of initiatives to improve the safety of those involved in prostitution. This has included the launch of the Crimestoppers 'STOP' campaign, which aims to encourage those in the sex industry to report crimes to Crimestoppers. This information can then be passed to the police and also shared with others at risk in the area.

Immigration

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence of  (a) actual and  (b) potential effects on (i) local wage levels and (ii) local unemployment have been identified through research on international immigration (1) commissioned and (2) evaluated by her Department in the last six years.

Liam Byrne: Research into the effects of immigration on wages and employment is summarised in the joint Home Office and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) submission to the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs, which was laid before Parliament and published in October 2007, "The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Immigration" (Cm 7237).

Immigration Controls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she received from her counterparts in Romania and Bulgaria before making the decision to continue the restrictions on migrant workers from these countries.

Liam Byrne: The Romanian and Bulgarian Governments were invited to contribute evidence on the type of work being undertaken by their migrants in the UK, the experiences of migrants coming to the UK to work and the impact of migration on the public, private and voluntary sectors in Bulgaria and Romania. Both Governments provided evidence which was carefully considered before the UK Government's final decision was made.

Imports: Radioactive Materials

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of shipping containers entering the United Kingdom by  (a) ship,  (b) plane,  (c) truck and  (d) train were tested for radioactive materials in each month in 2007.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	For security reasons, it is not appropriate to break down the percentage of traffic screened by traffic type.

Imports: Radioactive Materials

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times unauthorised radioactive material was detected in shipping containers entering the United Kingdom in each year since 2001; and what  (a) quantity and  (b) type of radioactive substance was detected.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	For security reasons, it is not appropriate to give a breakdown of the quantity and type of radioactive substances detected.

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department will reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's letters of 5 October and 22 October with regard to her constituent, Mr. Joseph Coutinho.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 13 November 2007.

Migration Advisory Committee

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which individuals and organisations have a statutory duty to report to the Migration Advisory Committee.

Liam Byrne: No individuals and/or organisations have a statutory duty to report to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The MAC is a non-statutory non departmental public body (NDPB).

Nuclear Power Stations: Security

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to secure nuclear power facilities in the United Kingdom from terrorist attack.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the Government's regulator for security in the civil nuclear industry and is responsible for ensuring, inter alia, that the industry complies with the requirements of the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR 03).
	The NISR 03 requires those who use and store nuclear and/or other radioactive material (NM/ORM) in whatever form on a civil nuclear licensed site (including tenants) or use or store significant quantities of NM at other premises to have an approved Site Security Plan (SSP). SSPs must describe in writing the standards, procedures and arrangements which are kept in place to ensure the security of the nuclear premises, nuclear materials, other radioactive material and sensitive nuclear information. These arrangements include the full range of security measures including physical (e.g. fences, intruder detection systems and guards), personnel (e.g. national security vetting) and information security issues. The SSPs must be approved by OCNS before they are adopted. Once adopted sites are regularly inspected by OCNS to ensure compliance with their SSP. SSPs are regarded as "live" documents and remain subject to constant review, scrutiny and amendment as necessary.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Adoption

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to issue guidance on forced adoption.

Kevin Brennan: In 2005 we published the Adoption and Children Act 2002 Guidance which explains the duties and responsibilities that the Act and supporting regulations place on adoption agencies. This publication provides guidance to local authorities on adoptions where the birth parent(s) consent(s) to the adoption, and where consent is not given.

Capita

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was paid by the Department for Education and Skills to Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Kevin Brennan: Details of the amount paid to Capita and its subsidiaries by the Department for Education and Skills for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 206,577,675 
			 2005-06 198,944,409 
		
	
	The expenditure relates to payments recorded in the Department's integrated financial information system and credited against Capita Group plc or its subsidiaries.

CfBT

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was paid by the Department for Education and Skills to CfBT in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Kevin Brennan: Details of the amount paid to CfBT Education Trust by the Department for Education and Skills for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 41,248,613 
			 2005-06 9,606,231 
		
	
	The expenditure relates to payments recorded in the Department's integrated financial information system and credited against CfBT Education Trust.

Child Benefit

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the relative costs of child benefit and foster care in the provision of support to  (a) babies,  (b) children and  (c) young people.

Kevin Brennan: Child benefit is a standard monthly tax-free payment made to anyone bringing up a child or young person, providing that they are responsible for that child or young person. Foster placements are provided for children and young people who are looked after by local authorities. The individual support which they receive (including their placement) is based on a detailed assessment of their individual needs. The two types of support fulfil different functions. An assessment of the relative costs of child benefit and foster care has not, therefore, been undertaken.

Children: Databases

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the tendering process to begin for the e-enablement of the Common Assessment Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: It is the Government's intention to commence the formal tendering procedure to procure a national eCAF solution provider using OGC Catalist Framework arrangements at the end of 2007.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets his Department has set to improve the quality of child care provision in England.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 November 2007
	We have a Public Service Agreement target to improve the outcomes for children at age five and also to reduce inequalities in outcomes between the children from the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and their peers. We set annual targets for local authorities that reflect this PSA.
	High quality provision is essential if we are raise outcomes and reduce inequalities. We are supporting the sector by significantly investing in raising the qualification levels of the workforce to raise child care quality, with an aim of having a graduate in every full daycare setting by 2015. We are supporting this aim through the Transformation Fund and, from 1 April 2008, the Graduate Leader Fund. Also we are funding the NCB to promote continuous quality improvement in the child care sector, through a sector-wide network and by establishing universal quality principles. This, with the revised inspection arrangements for early years that Ofsted are currently developing to reflect the new Early Years Foundations Stage framework, support improvement in quality and standards across the sector.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets his Department has set to increase the  (a) numbers and  (b) levels of relevant qualifications held within the child care workforce.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 November 2007
	In our response in February 2006 to the consultation on the Children's Workforce Strategy, we confirmed our ambition to have more widespread graduate leadership of early years settings through the development of an Early Years Professional Status. We set out our aim to have Early Years Professionals in all children's centres offering early years provision by 2010 and in every full day care setting by 2015. In our response, we also set out our aim to secure a higher proportion of the workforce in all settings qualified to at least Level 3 by 2008.

Children: Obesity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department plans to weigh children on leaving primary school as part of the tackling obesity agenda.

Kevin Brennan: The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) aims to weigh and measure all children in Reception (aged four-five) and Year 6 (aged 10-11) in maintained primary and middle schools in England. The NCMP was established by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills (now Department for Children, Schools and Families) in 2005 and it is now into its third year.
	The NCMP is part of the Government's work programme to tackle childhood obesity. It was established to inform local planning and delivery of services for children and gather population-level surveillance data to allow analysis of trends in growth patterns and obesity.
	Pupils are measured at school, with Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) leading the programme, and we have provided guidance to both PCTs and schools. Measurements are taken under the supervision of a trained healthcare professional with safeguards for privacy and a non-stigmatising approach. Parents are given the opportunity to opt their child out of being weighed and measured, and pupils can refuse to participate on the day.
	Aggregated data, with all personal identifiers removed, is sent to the Information Centre for Health and Social Care which manages the National Childhood Measurement Database and produce a national report based on the information.
	Parents may request their child's results from the PCT and we are planning to make that information available to all parents as a matter of course through provisions in the Health and Social Care Bill, introduced to Parliament on 16 November. The PCT will also provide information and support materials and will advise that parents can follow up any concerns with their GP or other health professional.

Children's Centres: Privatisation

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children's centres were privatised in each of the last five years;
	(2)  whether his Department has any plans for further privatisation of children's centres.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities working with their partners in children's trusts are responsible for the overall delivery of the Sure Start Children's Centres programme in England including planning, securing value for money and ensuring overall quality in children's centres. We encourage them to involve private, voluntary and independent organisations both in managing children's centres and as service providers in order to harness the best of all sectors in delivering quality services for children. Reliable information on how many children's centres are run by private sector organisations is not available centrally. A survey of early children's centres last year showed around 58 per cent. of childcare provision in children's centres is provided by the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector.
	Together for Children (TfC), the consortium appointed to support local authorities during the children's centre roll-out, are monitoring and challenging them on their involvement and use of PVI providers. They have produced a range of support materials for use by both local authorities and local PVI organisations as they work together in delivering children's centre services available online at
	www.children's-centres.org

Departmental Flexible Working

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff  (a) have applied to work flexible hours and  (b) work flexible hours (i) in the Department and (ii) the executive agencies for which the Department is responsible.

Kevin Brennan: All staff in my Department can work flexibly. The information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has no executive agencies.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which financial years since 2001 his Department's outturn for its capital budget at the end of the year was less than planned at the beginning of the year; and what the  (a) value and  (b) reason for the underspend was in each case.

Kevin Brennan: DCSF is a newly created Department and we do not hold information on DCSF budgets for earlier years. To produce such information would involve disproportionate costs. It should be noted that underspends are measured on the end year budget and not on the budget at the beginning of the year.

Extended Schools

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools are providing access to the full core offer of extended services broken down by (i) region, (ii) local education authority and (iii) Parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Pupils: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what means assessments for the third key stage will be aligned to new programmes of study under the new secondary curriculum.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is responsible for the delivery of national curriculum assessments. The National Assessment Agency (NAA), which delivers the assessments on their behalf, will use their expertise to produce assessments that match the new curriculum's programme of study; encourage effective learning and teaching; and are widely accepted by the teaching community. Test materials will continue to be developed using rigorous procedures, which include informal trialling of early materials, two formal pre-tests using nationally representative samples of pupils as well as review by teachers, senior markers and other educational experts at key points in the process. QCA will use their well established procedures to ensure that standards are maintained.

Pupils: Attendance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which period of the school year is used for the measurement of school attendance by pupils in each year group; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department collects attendance and absence data for the autumn term, spring term and first half of the summer term for all compulsory school age pupils except boarders.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surplus school places there were in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of surplus school places through an annual survey. The earliest data available are from 1998 and the most recent is for 2006. The number of surplus school places was not collected in 2002 to allow for a change in the method of assessing school capacity.
	Currently the number of school places is calculated using the net capacity method of assessment which was introduced in 2003. Up to 2001 the capacity of a school was calculated using the MOE (more open enrolment) method. The following table shows the number of surplus places in maintained primary and secondary schools calculated by the net capacity method of assessment between 2003 and 2006 and the MOE method between 1998 and 2001.
	
		
			   Primary surplus places( 1)  Surplus as a percentage of total primary places  Secondary surplus places( 1)  Surplus as a percentage of total secondary places 
			 2006 513,512 12 244,111 7 
			 2005 504,647 11 227,168 7 
			 2004 497,233 11 220,528 6 
			 2003 477,722 11 231,391 7 
			 2001 449,037 10 250,733 7 
			 2000 431,650 10 278,339 8 
			 1999 415,794 9 316,572 9 
			 1998 418,386 10 343,315 10 
			 (1) Number of places relate to position as at January  Source: Surplus Places Survey

Schools: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much funding his Department gave to supplementary schools in each of the last five years;
	(2)  whether his Department has any plans to change funding for supplementary schools.

Jim Knight: The Department does not provide direct funding to supplementary schools. However, earlier this year, in partnership with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Department contributed £596,000 towards funding the establishment of a national resource centre for supplementary education. One key aim of the centre is to promote links between supplementary schools, local authorities and mainstream schools.

Schools: Sports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of secondary schools in School Sports Partnerships held at least one sports day or sports festival in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 November 2007
	The annual School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04. Over the last four years, the percentage of secondary schools that held at least one school sports day or equivalent during the academic year is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of secondary schools holding a sports day 
			 2003/04 93 
			 2004/05 (1)— 
			 2005/06 95 
			 2006/07 97 
			 (1 )The question was not asked in this year. 
		
	
	Prior to 2003/04, no data were collected on the percentage of schools holding a sports day.

Schools: Sports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school sport partnerships there are; and how many he estimates there will be in 2010.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 20 November 2007
	There are 450 School Sport Partnerships in England. Every maintained school in England is now part of one of these partnerships. It is not envisaged that the number of School Sport Partnerships will change for 2010.

Secondary Education: Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of secondary schools with  (a) above 50 per cent.  (b) between 45 per cent. and 50 per cent.  (c) between 21 per cent. and 35 per cent.  (d) between 13 per cent. and 21 per cent.  (e) between nine per cent. and 13 per cent.  (f) between five and nine per cent. and  (g) under five per cent. of children on free school meals had specialist status in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) at the most recent time for which figures are available; how many schools there were in each category; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education: Sports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of secondary schools which field sports teams in regular competitive fixtures.

Kevin Brennan: Data are not collected in the format requested. The 2006/07 annual School Sport Survey of all maintained school in England found that 61 per cent. of pupils in secondary schools took part in intra-school competitive sport, and 34 per cent. took part in inter-school competitive sport.

Teachers: Pay

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what variation is allowed in teachers' pay to compensate for local labour market and cost variations; which areas of England receive higher funding to accommodate higher pay costs; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The variations in the four teachers' pay areas, covering Inner London, Outer London, the "Fringe" (extending to certain parts of the home counties), and the rest of England and Wales (as defined in the school teachers' pay and conditions document), are intended to take account of economic circumstances linked to labour market conditions and cost of living pressures within the pay areas. The variations in pay apply to all teacher pay scales. The starting salary for a newly qualified teacher, for example, currently varies from £20,133 for England and Wales, £21,102 for "Fringe", £23,118 for outer London, to £24,168 for inner London. Full details of pay variations are available in the school teachers' pay and conditions document 2007 (available in the House of Commons Library and at www.teachernet.gov.uk/pay).
	The areas of England which receive higher funding to accommodate higher pay costs were set out in my response to the question from the hon. Member on the 15 November (PQ163822).
	Individual schools also have a range of flexibilities over pay which they can use in the light of prevailing local circumstances, including determining recruitment or retention payments for teachers in addition to their normal salary entitlement.

Young People

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many persons aged 16 to 18-year-olds there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what proportion were  (a) in full-time work and  (b) not in education, employment or training.

Jim Knight: The official source for employment figures in England is the Labour Force Survey (LFS), but the LFS sample is insufficiently large to produce robust estimates of 16 to 18-year-old employment at local authority level. The Department's estimate of the number and proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) also cannot be disaggregated to regional or local authority level. However, we can give an indication of the number of 16, 17 and 18-year-olds(1) in full-time employment and NEET from data provided by Connexions services, and this is provided in the following table. Connexions data has only been available at local authority level since 2005.
	Data provided by Connexions services are used to set and monitor local authority NEET targets. However, it should be noted that figures are calculated on a different basis from LFS employment estimates and the Department's NEET estimates, and therefore do not give the same totals.
	(1) Connexions service figures relate to calendar age (rather than academic age as is used in the Department's participation estimates)
	
		
			  Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds in (a) full-time employment and (b) not in education employment or training, and (c) 16 to 18 population estimates by local authority 
			   2005  2006  2006 
			   Percentage 16 to 18-year-olds  
			   In employment( 1)  NEET( 2)  In employment( 1)  NEET( 2)  16 to 18-year-old population( 3) 
			  South East  
			 Bracknell Forest 20.4 8.6 19.8 6.4 5,199 
			 Reading 13.7 10.7 23.3 7.3 5,025 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 10.0 5.0 12.5 4.2 6,095 
			 Slough 11.0 9.3 15.9 5.4 4,927 
			 West Berkshire 16.8 6.4 15.3 5.2 6,565 
			 Wokingham 17.5 6.1 19.2 4.8 6,218 
			 Kent 13.7 6.3 18.2 6.4 55,793 
			 Medway 15.3 8.1 23.0 6.1 11,099 
			 Buckinghamshire 14.7 3.9 17.5 3.2 19,401 
			 Milton Keynes 22.1 7.8 23.0 6.5 9,167 
			 Oxfordshire 24.1 4.9 24.0 4.8 24,285 
			 Portsmouth 14.5 11.1 22.0 9.9 7,631 
			 Southampton 19.1 10.4 20.8 9.4 8,162 
			 Isle of Wight 14.9 5.5 18.6 5.9 5,354 
			 Hampshire 13.4 4.8 18.6 5.2 50,676 
			 Surrey 15.6 3.5 16.5 3.3 40,857 
			 Brighton and Hove 17.6 10.7 19.2 10.9 8,584 
			 East Sussex 17.2 8.1 19.4 8.0 19,323 
			 West Sussex 17.6 4.7 20.8 4.5 28,382 
			   
			  London  
			 Camden 3.5 8.9 3.2 7.5 6,141 
			 Islington 3.9 10.5 3.8 8.6 5,790 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4.1 9.5 2.7 7.9 4,209 
			 Lambeth 4.5 15.3 4.7 10.5 8,339 
			 Southwark 6.7 14.5 6.8 11.7 8,501 
			 Wandsworth 4.3 6.9 3.7 6.0 6,184 
			 Westminster 3.5 8.2 3.4 6.5 5,421 
			 Barking and Dagenham 10.9 12.5 14.1 11.4 6,407 
			 Bexley 22.4 8.2 21.5 6.9 9,113 
			 City of London(4) — — 0.6 1.1 125 
			 Greenwich 11.6 12.2 12.0 12.0 8,615 
			 Hackney 4.9 16.1 4.5 13.1 8,005 
			 Havering 14.0 7.2 16.3 6.1 9,053 
			 Lewisham 8.3 9.1 6.5 6.7 9,036 
			 Newham 6.4 9.8 7.0 10.8 11,198 
			 Redbridge 5.7 6.5 7.6 4.8 10,005 
			 Tower Hamlets(4) 6.3 12.6 7.6 10.9 7,909 
			 Barnet 6.1 6.2 5.0 4.8 11,876 
			 Enfield 9.2 8.3 8.6 7.0 11,122 
			 Haringey 3.6 11.6 4.2 12.5 8,437 
			 Waltham Forest 6.6 6.5 8.4 6.3 8,326 
			 Bromley 12.5 5.5 16.8 5.0 10,987 
			 Croydon 12.4 9.2 14.0 8.1 13,894 
			 Kingston 7.1 3.9 10.3 3.4 5,423 
			 Merton 16.2 7.7 17.6 6.7 6,338 
			 Richmond 9.1 4.3 14.4 4.0 5,506 
			 Sutton 13.7 5.3 17.4 4.8 7,146 
			 Brent 3.8 5.4 3.5 6.7 10,104 
			 Ealing 6.5 7.7 7.2 7.8 10,894 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5.6 15.9 6.9 8.4 4,624 
			 Harrow 7.3 5.5 7.7 5.3 9,643 
			 Hillingdon 10.5 7.9 12.1 7.0 9,932 
			 Hounslow 7.1 7.2 7.8 8.3 8,214 
			  
			  East of England  
			 Bedfordshire 13.2 7.3 15.1 7.2 16,010 
			 Luton 9.4 8.6 11.7 9.4 8,257 
			 Cambridgeshire 18.9 5.8 21.7 5.4 22,800 
			 Peterborough 20.8 10.5 18.9 9.5 6,693 
			 Essex 20.8 8.6 25.6 6.9 52,078 
			 Thurrock 13.2 9.2 20.1 7.8 5,899 
			 Southend 11.8 8.0 14.0 7.0 5,975 
			 Hertfordshire 16.7 5.1 17.5 4.6 40,839 
			 Norfolk 21.3 7.5 22.4 7.9 29,643 
			 Suffolk 21.2 8.5 22.4 8.4 26,919 
			   
			  South West  
			 Bournemouth 24.4 8.1 24.6 8.5 5,396 
			 Dorset 22.8 6.0 23.3 6.8 16,605 
			 Poole 22.2 6.6 23.9 6.2 5,663 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 18.8 7.1 18.8 6.1 20,078 
			 Devon 23.8 6.2 24.4 6.0 27,672 
			 Plymouth 20.7 8.2 22.8 7.4 10,200 
			 Torbay 19.4 6.0 19.0 6.8 5,120 
			 Gloucestershire 17.1 6.0 18.9 4.6 23,547 
			 Somerset 20.4 5.3 22.5 4.8 21,995 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 19.0 5.3 17.0 4.2 6,935 
			 Bristol 21.7 9.3 19.8 7.8 14,739 
			 North Somerset 19.9 4.8 22.3 4.8 7,377 
			 South Gloucestershire 25.2 5.5 30.5 5.0 9,831 
			 Swindon 20.4 6.1 18.5 8.3 7,312 
			 Wiltshire 22.2 5.7 20.4 6.0 17,918 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 Birmingham 9.7 14.3 12.7 11.4 44,430 
			 Solihull 12.0 9.1 16.1 8.0 8,622 
			 Dudley 15.9 8.4 12.0 6.4 12,108 
			 Sandwell 18.0 10.6 19.0 15.6 11,945 
			 Walsall 15.6 10.3 13.8 9.1 10,523 
			 Wolverhampton 13.4 11.4 11.6 10.8 9,842 
			 Coventry 19.5 9.1 19.3 8.7 12,879 
			 Warwickshire 20.1 6.2 20.2 6.7 20,405 
			 Herefordshire 23.4 7.0 23.2 5.5 6,754 
			 Worcestershire 19.9 6.5 23.1 5.5 21,594 
			 Shropshire 23.2 5.5 25.7 5.2 12,151 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 21.1 8.9 21.8 9.1 6,988 
			 Staffordshire 18.7 7.4 22.2 7.6 32,550 
			 Stoke on Trent 16.5 15.7 20.1 16.1 9,879 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 Derby City 14.2 9.6 16.4 8.4 9,225 
			 Derbyshire 20.7 8.2 23.6 7.1 29,051 
			 Leicester City 10.4 10.6 12.6 9.9 12,267 
			 Leicestershire 19.7 6.4 21.7 5.5 24,526 
			 Lincolnshire 21.1 6.0 22.7 5.0 26,826 
			 Rutland 24.1 0.9 36.4 2.0 2,461 
			 Northamptonshire 22.7 8.3 24.5 6.4 27,344 
			 Nottinghamshire 21.9 4.9 21.0 4.9 30,344 
			 City of Nottingham 16.5 9.6 14.5 8.0 11,301 
			   
			  Yorks and the Humber  
			 East Riding 13.5 5.5 12.3 5.6 12,543 
			 Kingston upon Hull 8.1 13.9 10.6 14.1 10,959 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10.8 10.0 11.5 9.8 7,393 
			 North Lincolnshire 8.0 8.1 6.4 9.2 6,268 
			 Barnsley 20.4 13.4 26.3 12.3 8,767 
			 Doncaster 20.6 11.8 27.6 11.5 12,124 
			 Rotherham 18.4 9.9 22.2 10.8 10,264 
			 Sheffield 17.7 10.8 21.3 10.5 19,559 
			 Bradford 18.9 11.6 18.7 9.8 21,101 
			 Calderdale 16.8 9.5 19.5 9.7 8,157 
			 Kirklees 15.2 9.6 16.6 9.7 16,352 
			 Leeds 20.8 10.4 18.9 9.1 29,799 
			 Wakefield 26.1 11.6 26.4 10.6 12,972 
			 York 20.1 5.2 19.3 5.9 6,927 
			 North Yorkshire 21.3 4.9 21.7 4.8 25,596 
			   
			  North West  
			 Cheshire 21.9 5.9 23.2 5.4 26,328 
			 Warrington 23.0 7.8 23.8 7.0 7,728 
			 Cumbria 25.4 6.7 27.0 5.8 19,244 
			 Bolton 21.2 10.8 24.5 12.7 11,051 
			 Bury 21.4 8.1 23.2 8.0 7,825 
			 City of Manchester 12.1 12.0 12.2 11.4 18,071 
			 Oldham 18.6 7.4 17.4 8.8 9,517 
			 Rochdale 21.4 10.4 25.6 12.1 9,288 
			 Salford 23.7 9.7 24.9 10.2 8,573 
			 Stockport 22.5 6.4 23.9 8.8 11,503 
			 Trafford 17.8 6.2 17.3 7.3 8,422 
			 Tameside 20.9 8.3 19.8 9.1 9,283 
			 Wigan 25.2 10.1 26.4 9.9 12,315 
			 Halton 19.3 11.2 19.4 11.8 5,248 
			 Knowsley 18.3 12.4 18.0 13.7 6,995 
			 Liverpool 17.0 12.4 18.5 13.2 18,786 
			 Sefton 17.9 8.3 14.0 7.6 11,936 
			 St. Helens 23.8 12.2 16.5 10.0 7,391 
			 Wirral 19.3 9.7 18.1 10.0 13,468 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 20.2 10.8 15.0 8.6 6,779 
			 Blackpool 23.2 12.4 18.0 8.8 5,682 
			 Lancashire 24.7 8.1 26.0 7.5 48,068 
			   
			  North East  
			 County Durham 18.7 13.3 21.7 12.9 19,262 
			 Northumberland 19.7 9.6 22.8 10.0 11,834 
			 Darlington 12.2 9.1 12.6 6.7 3,896 
			 Stockton on Tees 13.8 9.9 18.0 9.9 7,879 
			 Middlesbrough 8.8 15.7 9.9 13.7 6,402 
			 Hartlepool 13.6 10.0 14.3 11.1 3,976 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 15.2 10.8 16.9 11.9 5,939 
			 Sunderland 20.1 13.6 19.3 13.3 11,592 
			 Gateshead 18.5 13.6 20.1 12.3 7,686 
			 Newcastle 9.2 10.4 7.8 9.4 10,252 
			 North Tyneside 16.4 11.2 17.8 11.4 7,461 
			 South Tyneside 17.7 13.8 19.3 11.3 6,405 
			 (1) The percentage in employment is at the end of December. (2) The percentage NEET is the average between November and January. (3) ONS/DCSF estimate of the population of academic age 16 to 18 at end of 2006. (4) Data for City of London were included with Tower Hamlets in 2005.

JUSTICE

Administration of Justice: Jamaica

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the merits of giving financial or practical aid to the Jamaican Government to assist  (a) its criminal justice system and  (b) its provision for prisoners of Jamaican nationality deported from UK; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The development of the Jamaican criminal justice system is a matter of mutual importance to Jamaica and the UK. The Government continue to provide significant support to the criminal justice sector in Jamaica, including through their assistance to the Jamaica constabulary force, and are looking for ways to develop this further. We are hoping to provide further assistance to the reform of the justice sector which the Jamaican Government are pursuing. We are also discussing with the Jamaican Government ways of co-operating more closely on the issue of rehabilitation of Jamaicans deported from the UK.

Courts: Interpreters

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of the employment of interpreters in the criminal courts in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost through the manual searching of individual court files. Her Majesty's Courts Service is giving consideration to the routine collection of data relating to interpreting and translation services used in court.

Criminal Justice Act 2003

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many provisions enacted in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are not yet in force.

Maria Eagle: Only a small percentage of the 329 substantive sections in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 have yet to be implemented. These figures are shown in the following table.
	Officials are actively working on these areas of legislation with a view to implementation, considering resource implications, undertaking pilot exercises, or examining other necessary procedures and practices.
	
		
			   Number of sections  Percentage of sections 
			 Wholly in force 276 84 
			 Partially in force 26 8 
			 Not in force 26 8 
			 Repealed 1 —

Crown Courts: Chelmsford

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time staff were employed in Chelmsford Crown court in each year since 1996-97, broken down by grade.

Maria Eagle: As of 30 September 2007 a total of 33 staff are recorded as working for our Crown court in Chelmsford. The following table details the grade and full or part-time status of directly employed staff, along with comparative data for each year since 31 March 1997.
	
		
			  Chelmsford Crown court staff 
			  Government grade  F ull-time  Part-time  Grand total 
			  30 September 2007
			 AA 5 4 9 
			 AO 7 2 9 
			 EO 8 3 11 
			 G7 2 0 2 
			 HEO 1 0 1 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 24 9 33 
			 
			  31 March 2006
			 AA 5 5 10 
			 AO 6 3 9 
			 EO 8 2 10 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 24 10 34 
			 
			  31 March 2005
			 AA 6 5 11 
			 AO 8 4 12 
			 EO 10 2 12 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 2 0 2 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 28 11 39 
			 
			  31 March 2004
			 AA 5 7 12 
			 AO 8 1 9 
			 EO 8 3 11 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 0 0 0 
			 Grand total 25 11 36 
			 
			  31 March 2003
			 AA| 6 5 11 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 1 0 1 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 0 0 0 
			 Grand total 21 9 30 
			 
			  31 March 2002
			 AA 5 6 11 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 0 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 20 10 30 
			 
			  31 March 2001
			 AA 4 5 9 
			 AO 6 2 8 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 1 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 21 10 31 
			 
			  31 March 2000
			 AA 6 4 10 
			 AO 4 2 6 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 2 1 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 20 9 29 
			 
			  31 March 1999
			 AO 5 2 7 
			 CAS AO 0 1 1 
			 EO 8 1 9 
			 G7 0 0 0 
			 HEO 3 1 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 6 3 9 
			 Grand total 25 8 33 
			 
			  31 March 1998
			 AO 5 1 6 
			 EO 7 1 8 
			 HEO 4 0 4 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 7 4 11 
			 TYP 0 2 2 
			 Grand total 26 8 34 
			 
			  31 March 1997
			 AA 1 0 1 
			 AO 7 1 8 
			 EO 7 2 9 
			 HEO 3 0 3 
			 SEO 1 0 1 
			 SGB 1 2 0 2 
			 SGB 2 7 5 12 
			 TYP 0 2 2 
			 Grand total 28 10 38

Dangerous Driving: Foreigners

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals have been charged with offences under sections 2 or 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Information on drivers charged with motoring offences is not collected centrally. The court proceedings database held by my Department identifies proceedings under sections 2 and 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. However, the nationality of those proceeded against does not form part of that information.

Drugs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what drugs programmes are administered by his Department; and what the budget of each was in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: For those in custody a comprehensive range of drug interventions is available for drug misusers, comprising:
	Clinical services (detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing programmes), available in all local and remand prisons;
	CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services), available in all prisons;
	Drug Rehabilitation Programmes, 116 programmes running across the estate; and
	YPSMS (Young People's Substance Misuse Service), available for all young people in custody (funded by the Youth Justice Board).
	For those supervised by the National Probation Service (NPS), provision consists of:
	the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR), which has replaced the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO);
	drug testing on licence and for those offenders living in Approved Premises (the probation hostel estate);
	Prospects—providing abstinence-based regimes delivering seamless support in residential settings; and
	Accredited substance misuse programmes.
	The Youth Justice Board (YJB) provides the following interventions:
	Substance misuse workers in all Youth Offending Teams (YOTs);
	Resettlement and Aftercare Provision (RAP) attached to 59 YOTs; and
	Substance misuse services in the juvenile secure estate.
	A table showing the budget for each intervention over the last five years is as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Intervention  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Custodial provision  
			 Clinical Services 11.3 11.3 11.3 (1)23.3 (1)24.0 
			 CARATS(2) 17.4 23.3 25.7 30.7 31.7 
			 Drug Rehabilitation Programmes 9.0 13.8 19.4 19.4 19.4 
			 Total Custodial Drug Treatment(3) 37.7 48.4 56.4 73.4 75.1 
			   
			  NPS provision  
			 DTTO/DRR treatment and testing in England (via Pooled Treatment Budget) 29.7 42.0 42.0 42.0 42.0 
			 DTTO/DRR supervision and enforcement in England and full costs in Wales 24.0 34.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 
			 Prospects Programme — — 3.0 3.8 4.4 
			 Drug Testing on Licence — — 1.1 1.1 1.8 
			 Total Community Drug Treatment 53.7 76.0 85.1 85.9 87.2 
			   
			  YJB provision  
			 YOTs 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 
			 RAPs 1.5 5.0 12.5 12.5 12.5 
			 Custodial interventions (including YPSMS)(4) 11.0 11.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 
			 Total YJB Drug Treatment 21.0 24.5 29.0 29.0 29.0 
			 (1) Includes additional funding for Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS). (2) Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare. (3) The total figure excludes funding for the YPSMS delivered in prisons. (4) Young peoples Substance Misuse Service delivered in prisons and secure centres. Includes £1 million a year baseline drugs funding. 
		
	
	The NFS accredited substance misuse group work programmes are funded through the general probation main grant allocation. It is therefore for local probation areas to allocate resources accordingly.

Frankland Prison

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been segregated under Rule 43 conditions in HM Prison Frankland since April 2007; and how long the period of segregation has been in each case.

Maria Eagle: It is assumed that my hon. Friend is referring to Rule 45, which replaced Rule 43 in 1999. The following table shows the number of prisoners who are recorded as having commenced a period of detention in the segregation unit at Frankland on or after 1 April 2007 up to 15 November 2007. Some of these prisoners remain in the segregation unit.
	
		
			  Number of weeks held in the segregation unit  Number of prisoners  Comments 
			 Under 1 week 30 3 continuing to be held, one of whom is being employed 
			 1-2 weeks 12 1 continuing to be held 
			 2-3 weeks 5 1 continuing to be held 
			 3-4 weeks 7 1 continuing to be held 
			 4-5 weeks 5 3 continuing to be held 
			 5-6 weeks 3 1 continuing to be held 
			 6-7 weeks 1 — 
			 7-8 weeks 6 2 continuing to be held 
			 9-10 weeks 2 1 continuing to be held 
			 10-11 weeks 1 — 
			 13-14 weeks 1 — 
			 14-15 weeks 3 — 
			 15-16 weeks 1 — 
			 22-23 weeks 1 — 
			 23-24 weeks 0 — 
			 24-25 weeks 1 1 continuing to be held although also being employed. 
			 Total 79 —

Frankland Prison: Crimes of Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates at HM Prison Frankland have declared themselves a victim of assault since April 2007.

Maria Eagle: Between 1 April 2007 and 15 November 2007, 19 prisoners reported themselves as being a victim of assault by another prisoner.

Freedom of Information

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of freedom of information requests to his Department have been replied to within 20 days; what the greatest length of time taken to issue a reply has been; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: My Department publishes a quarterly report of statistics on Freedom of Information implementation in central Government. According to the most recent report, detailing performance in the second quarter of 2007, 73 per cent. of requests to the Ministry of Justice were answered within the statutory deadline of 20 working days. Overall 91 per cent. of requests to the Ministry were answered in time, meaning within the statutory deadline or within a permitted extension. To determine the greatest length of time taken to respond to a request would incur disproportionate cost.

Joint Ministerial Committee

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the next plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee is planned to take place.

Michael Wills: The UK Government and the devolved administrations are committed, wherever possible, to conducting business through normal administrative channels, at either official or ministerial level. The JMC has met regularly in functional formats to discuss matters of mutual interest to the UK Government and the devolved Administrations. The UK Government are considering when it would be appropriate for a meeting of the JMC in plenary session to take place.

Legal Services Commission: Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Legal Services Commission matter starts were given for  (a) welfare benefit,  (b) housing,  (c) employment,  (d) debt,  (e) immigration,  (f) community care and  (g) family law cases in Slough in each of the last five years; and how many are being offered in the current bid rounds.

Maria Eagle: The figures for new matter starts for Slough over the last three years are shown in the following table. Data for 2003-04 or 2002-03 are not available. Within these new matter starts, we are specifically looking to target Slough with community care, employment and welfare benefits, as there is no category specific contract in these areas of law in Slough at present.
	
		
			  Allocated NMS  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Community Care 0 0 0 
			 Debt 455 298 361 
			 Education 6 16 20 
			 Employment 0 58 36 
			 Family 1,024 1,223 1,352 
			 Housing 474 758 697 
			 Immigration 0 260 0 
			 Welfare benefits 4 18 34 
			 Miscellaneous 238 287 199 
			 Total 2,201 2,918 2,699 
		
	
	In the current bid round for the procurement area of Berkshire (covering Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, Bracknell, Wokingham, Reading and West Berkshire), we are offering 2,050 new matter starts to cover housing, debt, welfare benefits, community care and employment. The intention is for providers in Slough to cover the whole Berkshire area and vice versa. In Berkshire the maximum number of new matter starts is 1,500 for social welfare law (debt; housing; welfare benefits; employment; community care) and 550 for family law.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) budget and  (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is shown in Table 1 in respect of executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Information on 2007-08 budgets is consistent with the Winter Supplementary Estimate laid before Parliament on 15 November 2007.
	The Northern Ireland Court Service (NICtS) supports the Lord Chancellor in discharging his ministerial responsibilities in Northern Ireland, including responsibility for judicial appointments and legal aid. It also sponsors two executive NDPBs and their details can be found in Table 2.
	Following machinery of Government changes, on 9 May 2007 the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Youth Justice Board and Parole Board transferred from the Home Office and became the responsibility of the newly formed MoJ. The Judicial Appointments Commission, Legal Services Commission and Information Commissioner's Office were formerly sponsored by the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and are now sponsored by MoJ.
	Details of the remit, Government funding and gross expenditure of public bodies sponsored by NICtS, the former DCA and the Home Office can be found in executive NDPBs' annual reports, which are in the Libraries of the House. Details can also be found in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 2006", which is available in the Library of the House and online at
	www.civilservice.gov.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: MoJ executive non-departmental public bodies 
			  NDPB  2007-08 Budget  Remit  Current chairman  2006-07 salary 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission £7.1 million The JAC is the independent public body that selects and recommends candidates for judicial office in England and Wales. It does so on merit, through fair and open competition and from the widest range of eligible candidates. Baroness Prashar £105,000 
			 Legal Services Commission £2,141.4 million The LSC runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales, providing information, advice and legal representation to help about two million people each year get access to justice. The Community Legal Service helps people with civil legal problems such as family breakdown, debt, asylum and housing. The Criminal Defence Service helps people who are Under police investigation or facing criminal charges Sir Michael Bichard £69,000 
			 Office of the Information Commissioner £5.0 million net (after setting off notification fees collected under the Data Protection Act 1998 against expenditure on Data Protection functions as Data Protection activities are self funded through collection of the fee which is forecast to be £10.6 million). The ICO is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information. The ICO enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Richard Thomas (Information Commissioner) £98,592 
			 Criminal Cases Review Commission £6.8 million The CCRC is the independent public body set up to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Commission assesses whether convictions or sentences should be referred to a court of appeal. Professor Graham Zellick £165,900 
			 Parole Board £7.8 million The Parole Board for England and Wales is an independent public body that works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by making risk assessments about prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community and must remain in or be returned to custody. Professor Sir Duncan Nichol CBE £75,000-£80,000 
			 Youth Justice Board £424.8 million The YJB is responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. It works to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people under the age of 18 and to ensure that custody for them is safe, secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour. Graham Robb (interim)—from February 2007 £10,000-£15,000 (2 months as chair and 10 as a member) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Northern Ireland Court Service executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) 
			  NDPB  2007-08 Budget (£ million )  Remit  Current chairman  2006-07 Salary 
			 Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission 1.5 To make recommendations for appointments to judicial offices in Northern Ireland up to and including High Court Judge Right hon. Sir Brian Kerr (Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland) No salary received from NDPB 
			 Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission 72.4 The provision of publicly funded legal services in Northern Ireland Jim Daniel A daily rate of £436 is payable together with travel expenses. No bonus is payable

Offenders: Curfews

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders sentenced to a curfew order or a community sentence with a curfew condition were unlawfully at large in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) category of offence,  (b) contract region and  (c) police force area; and what penalties were imposed on each contractor as a result.

David Hanson: If an offender subject to a curfew order or community sentence with a curfew requirement breaches their conditions, they are not deemed to be unlawfully at large, and the breach is not an arrestable offence. In such cases either the contractor or the responsible criminal justice agency will undertake enforcement proceedings with the court, and a summons will be issued to the offender. In some cases the court may issue a community penalty breach warrant to enforce attendance at a breach hearing.
	The contractors' performance is not measured according to the volume of curfew breaches recorded, as this is not within their control. They will incur financial penalties for failing to meet targets on 16 service levels relating to their monitoring operation. These are audited monthly by the Ministry of Justice.

Offenders: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on the use of naltrexone as a heroin antagonist for prisoners and those serving non-custodial sentences.

David Hanson: Naltrexone is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment option in detoxified formerly opioid-dependent people who are highly motivated to remain in an abstinence programme. For it to be effective, it should be given as part of a programme of supportive care.
	This position is supported by Offender Health.

Offenders: Education

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for education and training for offenders in prisons was in the last financial year; and what percentage this represents of the total prisons budget.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Education and Skills spent £96,133,384 on learning and skills delivery in public sector prisons in 2006-07. According to the 2006-07 HMPS Annual Report, the net operating cost of the Prison Service in that financial year was £1,936 million.

Offenders: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date the Government intends to publish its response to the Corston Review.

David Hanson: The Government have given a broad welcome to the report. The 43 recommendations which it makes are wide-ranging and propose action by a number of different Government Departments and organisations. We are carefully exploring the best way of taking forward the recommendations with all the departments and agencies concerned and hopefully we will be able to respond in a positive way before Christmas.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated cost is of the regional event to promote the White Paper "The Governance of Britain" in Leicester on 10 December 2007.

Michael Wills: We estimate that the event in Leicester on 10 December will cost in the region of £40,000. Final costs will be available once the event has been completed.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations have been engaged by his Department to provide services for regional events to promote the White Paper "The Governance of Britain".

Michael Wills: The Central Office of Information has been contracted to provide support in delivering the "Governance of Britain" event to be held in Leicester on 10 December.

Politics and Government

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) date and  (b) location is of each regional event arranged to promote the White Paper "The Governance of Britain".

Michael Wills: To date, only one event has been scheduled to engage people on the Governance of Britain Green Paper. This will take place in Leicester on 10 December. Further events will take place early in the new year.

Prison Officers Association

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association about their recommendation to issue batons to prison officers, with particular reference to their issue in young offender institutions.

Maria Eagle: Following a visit to Ford open prison the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe), wrote to the local Prison Officers Association branch chairman on 30 May 2007 announcing a review to examine whether there was firm evidence to support the carrying of batons in all areas of the prison estate that do not currently carry them. The national representatives of the POA were informed of the review in June 2007. More recently the review was discussed at a meeting between the POA and the Secretary of State for Justice on 30 October 2007. The Secretary of State has also discussed the issue with a number of local POA branches on recent visits to establishments.

Prison Officers: Dismissal

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reasons were for the dismissals of each of the  (a) prison officers,  (b) senior officers and  (c) principal officers from each of the Welsh prisons in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007.  [Official Report, 7 January 2008, Vol. 470, c. 1MC.]

David Hanson: Information on the reasons for dismissal of each of the officers dismissed from Welsh prisons in 2005, 2006 and 2007 is shown in the list. Owing to the different grading structure in public sector and contracted prisons it is not possible to break down the information by grade.
	 2005
	111 health (x3)
	Failure to comply with operational procedures
	Gross misconduct
	Unacceptable attendance (x2)
	Continued unacceptable attendance
	Failure to disclose information
	Failed probation period
	 2006
	Committing criminal offence during employment
	Expiry of retention period
	Gross misconduct (sexual harassment claim)
	Failure to notify company of arrest and subsequent charges
	Assault on a prisoner
	Conduct Case
	 2007
	Poor attendance record
	Failure to carry out roll count
	Making untrue statements with intent on deceiving or defrauding the company
	Failure to comply with operational procedures (x3)
	Inappropriate and unprofessional conduct
	Inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour towards a prisoner
	Failed probation period

Prisoner Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many companies tendered for the contracts awarded to Serco for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area.

Maria Eagle: Two companies tendered for the London and South East area contract.
	They were Securicor, now trading as G4S, and Premier, which changed its name to Serco in 2005 and was awarded the contract.

Prisoner Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether more or fewer persons are provided by Serco for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area than were engaged in such work prior to the inception of his Department's contract with Serco.

Maria Eagle: The previous generation of contracts covered different geographical areas and so no direct comparison is possible. Serco staff work across the geographical area of the contract.
	Serco employed 1,215 staff in operational posts on this contract as at June 2007. Approximately 60 per cent. (729) were court-based; the rest were vehicle crews. Vehicle crews also perform some court duties to augment staff dedicated to court functions.
	The level of staffing was agreed in detailed consultation with Her Majesty's Courts Service at the time of the contract specification by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
	Contractors are incentivised to staff according to the needs of the court's business, and are not paid when court rooms are not staffed.
	A performance penalty is applied when court rooms are not staffed but should have been, and were contracted to be staffed.

Prisoner Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons are employed by the contractor Serco to deal with movement of prisoners in cases involving  (a) the magistrates courts and  (b) the Crown courts in the Greater London area.

Maria Eagle: Serco utilises its staff throughout its contract area, which covers London and the south- east. The number of staff dealing with the movement of prisoners to magistrates and Crown courts in the Greater London area is therefore variable, depending on which courts are sitting and the number of cases listed for appearance.

Prisoner Transfers: Greater London

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost of his Department's contract with Serco has been for the movement of prisoners in the Greater London area in each year since its inception.

Maria Eagle: The Greater London area is included as part of a wider geographical contract for the London and South East area and financial data is not routinely recorded to show what was spent moving prisoners within the Greater London area. Additionally, the provisions of the contract include services other than transportation of prisoners.
	Details of the cost of the full service in London and South East are only available on a full year's basis from 1 April 2005.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 46.4 
			 2006-07 56.8 
			 1 April 2007 to 20 October 2007 31.9

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements there are for faith and ethnicity monitoring among prisoners who are victims of assault.

Maria Eagle: The Prison Service Local Inmate Database System (LIDS) and its planned replacement C-NOMIS allow recording of both the religion and ethnicity of prisoners. The Incident Reporting System (IRS), used for recording assaults, routinely incorporates ethnicity information of any prisoners involved whether as assailants, fighters or victims. IRS does not routinely include religion of prisoners, but there are sampling techniques of that typically capture more than 70 per cent. of prisoner involvements to analyse faith aspects of assaults when required.

Prisons: Education

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reductions in the prisons budget do not affect the level of education provision in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The budget for education provision in prisons is held by the Learning and Skills Council and is not affected by reductions in the Prison Service budget. The Prison Service is aware of the need to ensure that the delivery of programmes for offenders to help reduce reoffending, including vocational skills for employment and other prison regimes associated with delivery of learning, is fully considered when operational savings are reviewed in the light of reduced prison funding.

Prosecutions: Driving Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been of uninsured drivers  (a) in total and  (b) in each police force area in each of the last 10 years; and what the average penalty was.

Maria Eagle: Available information from 1997 to 2005 (latest available) is provided in the following tables. 2006 data will be available next year.
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1) , and average fine imposed( 2)  by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2005 
			   1997  1998  1999 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 15,354 259 16,892 204 15,098 165 
			 Bedfordshire 4,724 314 4,449 293 3,479 274 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,440 221 3,425 209 3,058 215 
			 Cheshire 4,838 274 4,961 248 5,463 237 
			 Cleveland 3,925 162 4,204 167 4,331 170 
			 Cumbria 4,223 150 3,787 171 3,597 220 
			 Derbyshire 5,565 270 5,137 279 5,120 283 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8,422 184 7,232 185 7,493 178 
			 Dorset 5,271 295 4,198 302 4,776 301 
			 Durham 3,992 181 4,261 177 5,899 194 
			 Essex 7,161 174 7,025 149 7,336 140 
			 Gloucestershire 3,577 154 4,465 202 4,443 247 
			 Greater Manchester 30,655 245 30,836 226 33,228 236 
			 Hampshire 11,768 132 11,557 135 11,553 138 
			 Hertfordshire 4,580 193 5,799 164 4,748 173 
			 Humberside 4,408 159 4,279 148 4,894 143 
			 Kent 6,935 246 6,958 241 6,151 227 
			 Lancashire 20,334 332 18,794 296 18,111 237 
			 Leicestershire 9,706 318 9,481 318 11,054 276 
			 Lincolnshire 4,589 159 5,000 197 5,345 209 
			 London, City of 2,671 332 3,127 314 2,521 346 
			 Merseyside 10,896 200 9,747 203 8,932 200 
			 Metropolitan Police 42,283 202 35,064 185 31,285 184 
			 Norfolk 3,932 242 3,434 256 3,468 265 
			 Northamptonshire 4,999 243 4,849 286 5,571 310 
			 Northumbria 12,470 136 11,837 146 13,296 148 
			 North Yorkshire 3,926 249 3,744 236 4,003 230 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,078 164 8,726 165 7,957 153 
			 South Yorkshire 11,228 194 11,553 206 11,763 191 
			 Staffordshire 8,180 251 8,210 228 8,021 234 
			 Suffolk 3,258 193 3,743 192 4,189 192 
			 Surrey 4,942 243 3,908 242 4,436 215 
			 Sussex 9,333 218 8,202 186 7,415 181 
			 Thames Valley 11,887 292 11,948 257 13,543 268 
			 Warwickshire 4,316 228 3,769 175 3,523 177 
			 West Mercia 7,082 268 8,207 282 7,450 282 
			 West Midlands 29,878 207 30,928 190 27,409 189 
			 West Yorkshire 23,980 255 23,549 242 25,776 242 
			 Wiltshire 3,463 152 4,820 182 4,708 186 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3,079 183 2,852 182 3,017 175 
			 Gwent 4,097 253 4,478 225 4,451 225 
			 North Wales 4,859 210 4,452 226 4,102 272 
			 South Wales 14,829 190 16,187 180 15,406 183 
			
			 England and Wales 397,133 224 390,074 214 387,419 212 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 14,609 182 13,022 130 15,124 133 
			 Bedfordshire 3,594 226 4,651 164 4,731 169 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,929 182 2,508 119 2,875 118 
			 Cheshire 5,729 211 4,975 149 5,765 153 
			 Cleveland 4,793 179 4,789 167 5,994 173 
			 Cumbria 3,507 265 3,595 152 3,540 151 
			 Derbyshire- 5,318 296 5,429 337 5,614 355 
			 Devon and Cornwall 9,234 179 8,648 133 9,598 132 
			 Dorset 6,035 261 5,262 121 6,176 114 
			 Durham 5,470 160 5,394 118 5,840 122 
			 Essex 7,898 123 7,708 101 7,811 104 
			 Gloucestershire 4,174 240 4,683 91 4,417 86 
			 Greater Manchester 33,783 232 37,088 152 36,337 151 
			 Hampshire 10,559 136 10,349 119 10,912 122 
			 Hertfordshire 5,258 204 5,816 155 6,612 166 
			 Humberside 5,024 137 4,730 122 4,464 132 
			 Kent 9,033 271 9,592 209 10,059 192 
			 Lancashire 18,354 219 16,280 111 17,555 113 
			 Leicestershire 10,263 254 10,475 134 10,699 135 
			 Lincolnshire 4,500 188 4,083 133 4,242 134 
			 London, City of 1,738 375 1,826 369 2,353 368 
			 Merseyside 10,054 207 9,467 163 10,360 167 
			 Metropolitan Police 29,649 169 32,032 139 36,485 140 
			 Norfolk 3,951 210 4,744 99 5,563 107 
			 Northamptonshire 3,949 280 2,028 280 1,211 339 
			 Northumbria 13,195 144 12,504 130 12,309 135 
			 North Yorkshire 3,905 211 3,545 130 3,340 136 
			 Nottinghamshire 7,748 150 7,856 152 7,460 156 
			 South Yorkshire 12,690 170 14,623 128 13,859 137 
			 Staffordshire 8,777 198 6,027 152 7,056 163 
			 Suffolk 3,923 183 4,123 128 4,759 138 
			 Surrey 4,941 218 5,101 201 5,554 215 
			 Sussex 6,796 167 6,814 118 6,413 117 
			 Thames Valley 12,816 250 11,728 134 12,842 135 
			 Warwickshire 4,135 188 4,204 156 3,711 168 
			 West Mercia 7,686 263 7,787 176 7,849 180 
			 West Midlands 28,148 201 27,010 169 32,339 192 
			 West Yorkshire 26,529 209 27,618 120 24,873 123 
			 Wiltshire 4,901 204 5,292 283 5,326 286 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3,072 169 2,953 155 3,316 166 
			 Gwent 4,680 208 4,758 148 4,508 154 
			 North Wales 3,697 230 3,376 144 4,048 150 
			 South Wales 14,615 188 13,805 159 16,499 173 
			
			 England and Wales 391,659 203 388,298 150 410,398 155 
		
	
	
		
			   2003( 3)  2004  2005 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£)  Proceedings  Average fine (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 17,163 138 17,489 154 14,625 154 
			 Bedfordshire 5,041 137 4,534 143 4,776 156 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,301 131 3,120 152 3,371 171 
			 Cheshire 6,385 167 6,515 179 4,592 190 
			 Cleveland 5,575 171 6,597 189 4,611 202 
			 Cumbria 3,488 159 3,446 169 2,855 171 
			 Derbyshire- 5,793 367 6,326 367 5,869 376 
			 Devon and Cornwall 9,676 127 8,943 134 7,404 145 
			 Dorset 7,034 125 6,075 158 5,752 171 
			 Durham 5,802 121 5,300 116 4,454 123 
			 Essex 7,489 112 7,132 164 7,035 182 
			 Gloucestershire 4,412 133 3,695 147 3,500 143 
			 Greater Manchester 38,208 157 34,942 167 30,280 176 
			 Hampshire 10,619 124 9,750 131 7,882 138 
			 Hertfordshire 7,216 181 7,463 198 7,763 208 
			 Humberside 5,509 137 5,170 150 4,840 180 
			 Kent 9,788 191 10,673 197 8,535 204 
			 Lancashire 21,229 141 16,065 156 17,960 169 
			 Leicestershire 11,304 138 10,833 150 7,306 145 
			 Lincolnshire 5,883 148 6,621 179 5,644 185 
			 London, City of 2,563 334 2,812 230 1,499 198 
			 Merseyside 12,776 148 13,023 137 10,728 141 
			 Metropolitan Police 43,100 143 47,806 147 47,223 165 
			 Norfolk 6,322 139 5,084 152 4,442 152 
			 Northamptonshire 4,157 245 5,804 183 4,441 156 
			 Northumbria 12,951 135 11,685 137 11,728 142 
			 North Yorkshire 3,774 141 4,065 166 3,865 177 
			 Nottinghamshire 9,224 152 9,224 188 7,358 138 
			 South Yorkshire 13,745 146 11,416 125 11,246 147 
			 Staffordshire 7,214 166 7,439 186 7,224 280 
			 Suffolk 5,808 133 5,718 136 4,279 156 
			 Surrey 4,657 221 3,927 197 4,491 195 
			 Sussex 5,808 138 4,371 162 4,569 170 
			 Thames Valley 14,516 158 12,920 198 11,255 206 
			 Warwickshire 3,756 164 4,160 210 3,469 200 
			 West Mercia 7,735 165 7,249 193 7,144 208 
			 West Midlands 36,409 200 39,696 206 34,786 207 
			 West Yorkshire 26,966 134 32,404 144 26,667 144 
			 Wiltshire 4,794 280 4,641 200 4,599 208 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3,094 172 2,244 187 2,639 184 
			 Gwent 4,083 171 3,474 157 3,241 171 
			 North Wales 5,968 149 6,022 154 4,211 163 
			 South Wales 16,932 158 15,946 154 12,605 149 
			
			 England and Wales 447,267 160 441,819 169 392,763 177 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s 143(2). (2) Magistrates courts data only. Fines given at the Crown court total nationally (England and Wales) less than 10 each year. (3) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Self-Defence

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice by what means he intends to gather views from the general public as part of the review of the law of self-defence.

Maria Eagle: Ministers and officials have taken account of wider public views on the law of self-defence from a number of sources. This has included paying careful attention to the range of correspondence from the public on this issue, before and after the announcement of a review by the Secretary of State for Justice, received both directly from the public and through Members of Parliament. The review has also considered wider public debate on this subject, including in Parliament, where it has been the subject of four private Members' Bills since 2003. Contributions to those debates have reflected wider public feeling.
	In addition, Ministers are discussing this area of the law with practitioners, including the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers, whose officers deal with members of the public directly in these cases. We are also seeking wider views through discussion with members of the Opposition. The Government's aim is to conclude a review in time to bring forward amendments to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill before it completes its consideration in the House of Commons. This swift timetable means that a formal public consultation is not feasible.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of terrorist offences have committed further crimes  (a) since being released and  (b) while on licence in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Reoffending by discharged prisoners is measured annually on the basis of those discharged in the first quarter of every year. On this basis, only one person convicted with a terrorist offence under the Terrorism Acts of 2000 and 2006 has been discharged/released during this period.

Victim Support Schemes

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of  (a) the Victim Support scheme on Teesside and  (b) other support schemes for victims of crime.

Maria Eagle: Victim Support carried out a service review of the scheme in Teesside this year which concluded that the scheme was performing satisfactorily.
	Support schemes for victims of crime funded by Government grants are subject to terms and conditions and detailed monitoring arrangements.

Wormwood Scrubs: Telephones

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to inmates was of using payphones in HMP Wormwood Scrubs in each of the last 10 years for  (a) UK and  (b) overseas calls.

Maria Eagle: There is a national contract with British Telecom for HM Prison Service public sector prisons which sets the cost of calls for all prisons. Records are available dating back to the introduction of pin-phones to HMP Wormwood Scrubs in 2003. Information for the remaining period could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	From 2003 to the present date the cost of national and local calls within the UK is identical at 11p per minute (10p minimum charge for 55 seconds plus 1p for each 5.5 seconds or part thereof).
	BT International calls are charged at rates ranging from 75p per minute to £3 per minute, depending on the destination of the call.
	HMP Wormwood Scrubs is one of around 75 establishments which also operate the authorised international calling card system. The card can be purchased by prisoners through the prison shop and is available in two dominations, currently £3 and £5,
	Rates to each country are set out in Chapter 4 of Prison Service Order 4400, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	Calls to mobiles within the UK are charged at the following rates:
	
		
			   Pence 
			 Monday to Friday 08.01 to 18.00 63.0 
			 Monday to Thursday 18.01 to 08.00 37.5 
			 Friday 18.01 to 24.00 37.5 
			 00.01 Saturday to 24.00 Sunday 19.0

Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the time spent by young offenders in the youth prison estate  (a) playing team sports,  (b) on educational activity and  (c) outside cells.

Maria Eagle: Young people in young offender institution accommodation commissioned by the Youth Justice Board must be given 25 hours' learning per week and spend less than 14 hours per day locked in their room. Physical education—often with opportunity for team sports—is provided both within the learning hours and in recreation. There are no plans to increase the hours given to learning and time out of room.

Young Offenders: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of persons in young offender institutions are drug addicts.

David Hanson: Data on the number of prisoners in young offender institutions, who are drug dependent is not recorded. Instead, the National Offender Management Service relies on epidemiological research which has previously shown 76 per cent. of young male offenders aged 18-21 assessed (within a young offender institution) as being dependent on at least one drug.

HEALTH

St Helier Hospital: Doctors

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student doctors were based at St. Helier hospital, Surrey in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

St Helier Hospital: Hospital Beds

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reductions there have been in the number of beds at St Helier hospital, Surrey in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally by the Department.

St Helier Hospital: ICT

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the full cost was of the installation of the centralised computer booking system at St Helier hospital, Surrey.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally by the Department. It is for the local national health service to decide on information technology systems.

Ambulance Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to ambulance trusts on the management and roles of emergency care practitioners.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not issued guidance to ambulance trusts on the management and roles of emergency care practitioners. However, there are a number of reports and documents that will help the national health service to develop the roles of this important staff group. In particular, the Modernisation Agency published a report in 2004 to raise awareness of the role of emergency care practitioners and their potential impact and Skills for Health has recently published a framework document "Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Emergency Care Practitioner" (July 2007).

Ambulance Services: South East Coast Strategic Health Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1162W, on Ambulance Services, South East Coast Strategic Health Authority, if he will list the publications to which the answer refers; and if he will place in the Library copies of such publications.

Dawn Primarolo: As stated in my answer of 17 October, this is a matter for the local national health service. I have therefore asked the chief executive of West Sussex primary care trust to write to the hon. Member about this matter.

Aortic Aneurysm: Males

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what analysis he has made of the  (a) merits and  (b) costs of screening men aged 65 years or over for aortic aneurysm;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of how many lives might be saved each year if universal screening for aortic aneurysm in men aged 65 years or over was available across the national health service;
	(3)  with reference to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1192W, on abdominal aortic aneurysm, what further steps he has taken following the recommendation of the National Screening Committee that a national screening policy should be implemented by his Department for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to introduce a screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms in older men.

Ann Keen: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that screening men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can be recommended in principle. Before making its recommendation, the NSC considered the evidence, merits and costs of introducing the screening programme against its internationally recognised criteria.
	Detailed work is being undertaken in developing proposals for AAA screening in England, to assess the practical implications. This assessment is taking into account the likely impact of a screening programme on existing healthcare services and the infrastructure and staffing requirements in order for a programme to be safely introduced. Such assessments are undertaken before major screening policy decisions are made.
	Initial findings have suggested that around 700 deaths could be prevented 10 years after screening is introduced, rising eventually to around 1,600 per year.

Arhythmic Death Syndrome

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is being done to raise awareness of and tackle, sudden arhythmic death syndrome.

Ann Keen: In 2005, the Department issued an additional Chapter to the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF), launched in 2000. The additional chapter, chapter 8, covers arhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Chapter 8 sets out quality requirements and markers of good practice in developing and delivering services in this area.

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust: Hygiene

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of standards of cleanliness at Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospital Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the national health service's Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) assessments for levels of cleanliness at Barnet hospital and Chase Farm hospital from 2001.
	
		
			   Barnet hospital  Chase Farm hospital 
			 2001 Amber Amber 
			 2002 Green Amber 
			 2003 Amber Amber 
			 2004 Acceptable Acceptable 
			 2005 Acceptable Acceptable 
			 2006 Excellent Acceptable 
			 2007 Excellent Good 
			  Notes:  From 2001-03 the scale was Green, Amber, Red—Green = good, amber = acceptable. From 2004 onwards the scale changed to a 5-point one of Excellent, Good, Acceptable, Poor, Unacceptable.  Since 2005, assessments have been undertaken by self assessment with a percentage independently validated.

Cancer: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times were for  (a) cancer and  (b) cardiac operations in Copeland in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. In England since March 2005, no patient has waited for more than three months for cardiac surgery. As at June 2007, 95.7 per cent. of patients at the North Cumbria Acute Hospital NHS Trust received their cancer treatment within two months of referral.

Childbirth: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born while their mothers were in transit to  (a) Eastbourne District General Hospital and  (b) Conquest Hospital Hastings in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.

Chiropody: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to improve NHS chiropody services in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Dawn Primarolo: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with other local stakeholders and their strategic health authorities to commission services for the local community, including chiropody services.
	The hon. Member may wish to contact the chief executive of East Sussex and Downs Weald Primary Care Trust, which commissions services for Eastbourne and East Sussex.

Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department have held with the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection since 21 September; whether they have discussed the European Commission's proposals for a directive on cross-border health care; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been ongoing discussions for several years within the European Union (EU) about the provision of cross-border health care in the light of existing case law on patient mobility. The Secretary of State will next meet the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection on 20 November to discuss, among other issues, the forthcoming proposal regarding a general framework for the provision of cross-border health care within the EU. In future discussions on the proposal, the Department will work to protect the United Kingdom's interests, emphasising the need for any European legislation in this area to be proportionate.

Community Nurses

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the additional £30 million for the Family Nurse Partnership that his Department announced on 31 October 2007 was allocated between NHS trusts;
	(2)  how many  (a) additional families will benefit and  (b) additional hours of nurses' time will be provided as a result of the additional £30 million that his Department announced on 31 October 2007 for the Family Nurse Partnership.

Ann Keen: We are currently considering options for expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership in England following the allocation to the programme of an additional £30 million over the comprehensive spending review period. We expect to make an announcement before the end of the year.

Dental Services: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Barnet treat NHS patients; how many patients in Barnet are unable to access NHS dental treatment; how many dental practices ceased to provide NHS treatment in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Dental Services Division (DSD) can only provide validated information on national health service dental practices at disproportionate cost.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment. The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts per area in England.
	The number of NHS dentists as at 31 March 2007 are available in Table E2 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report.
	Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607

Dental Services: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental surgeries offer free dental care in West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency; and how many did so in May 1997.

Ann Keen: The National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Dental Services Division (DSD) can only provide validated information on the number of national health service dental practices within a constituency offering NHS dental care at disproportionate cost. Some NHS treatment attracts patient charges.
	The number of dentists is available in Annex G of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England 31 March 2006". This report has been placed in the Library.
	Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) area in England 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006.
	Information is based on the old contractual arrangements. The report is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	The number of NHS dentists year ending 31 March 2007 are available in Table E2 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	This report has been placed in the Library and is also available at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered for NHS dentistry services in the  (a) Cumbria primary care trust and  (b) Morecambe Bay primary care trust in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Patients registered with an NHS dentist are available in Annex A of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". This report has been placed in the Library.
	Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) area in England 31 March 1997—31 March 2006.
	Information is based on the old contractual arrangements. The report is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collecttions/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	As from 1 October 2006, Morecambe Bay PCT was split and the rural sector has been integrated into Cumbria PCT. Carlisle and District PCT, Eden Valley PCT and West Cumbria PCT also came together then to form the new Cumbria PCT. The remaining sector of Morecambe Bay PCT integrated into North Lancashire PCT.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at SHA and PCT area in England.
	This report has been placed in the House of Commons Library and is also available on-line at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	Both reports are published by the Information Centre for health and social care.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists on NHS contracts were registered in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in each year since 2001.

Ann Keen: Numbers of national health service dentists at parliamentary constituency, primary care trusts (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 31 March 2001 to 2006 are available in Annex E and G of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England 31 March 2006".
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report has been placed in the Library and is available at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers of NHS dentists at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table E1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. Constituency level data can only be made available at disproportionate cost.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	The inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
	My hon. Friend should note that the numbers quoted are headcounts and do not differentiate between full and part-time dentists. Nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Both reports have been published by the Information Centre for health and social care.

Dental Services: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are registered with NHS dentists in Eastbourne constituency.

Ann Keen: The information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally by the Department.
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a national heath service dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent current measure is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table Cl of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report. Information is available for strategic health authority and primary care trust areas, in England, but not at constituency level.
	The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the scale of charges NHS dentists are entitled to charge NHS patients is; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: There are three standard charges for all national health service primary care dental treatment. The Band One course of treatment is priced at £15.90. This covers an examination, diagnosis (eg: x-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, and a scale and polish if necessary. Urgent treatment also costs £15.90.
	The Band Two course of treatment is priced at £43.60. This covers everything listed in Band One, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or the extraction of one or more teeth.
	The Band Three course of treatment is priced at £194.00. This covers everything listed in Bands One and Two, plus crowns, dentures or bridges.
	These are the only charges dentists are entitled to charge fee paying patients for NHS treatment. Prior to the new patient charges introduced by the dental reforms, there were over 400 charges linked to individual items of treatment. The reforms have halved the maximum possible patient charge from £389 under the old system, to £194.
	However, not all NHS patients must pay for their treatment. Children, pregnant women and people on income support are all exempt.

Dental Services: Finance

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government  (a) grants and  (b) loans were made to NHS dental clinics in each NHS trust in each of the last five years; whether conditions on practising within the NHS were attached to each; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. Conditions on loans and grants are a matter for the primary care trust making the loan or grant.

Dental Services: Manpower

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were per head of population in each English constituency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information required is not available at constituency level. However, numbers of persons per NHS dentist at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level as at 31 March 1997 annually to 31 March 2006 are available in Annex F of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England 31 March 2006".
	This information is based on contractual arrangements prior to 31 March 2006. This report is available in the Library and is available at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	The numbers of national health service dentists per 100,000 persons at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. The report is available in the Library and is available at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	However, data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system owing to the inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms.
	Published numbers are headcounts and do not differentiate between full and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Both reports have been published by the information centre for health and social care.

Departmental Correspondence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's targets are for answering correspondence from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public.

Ben Bradshaw: The Cabinet Office publishes guidance for Departments on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs, and Members of Devolved Assemblies. The target set by the Cabinet Office for responding to correspondence from hon. Members is a maximum of 20 working days. The Department target for replying to correspondence from both hon. Members and members of the public is 20 working days.

Departmental Cost-Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Spending Review 2004 targets; on what date each was initiated; how much each was expected to contribute to the target; how much was saved by each; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Details of projects contributing to the Department's efficiency target for the 2004 Spending Review (SR04) are provided in our Efficiency Technical Note (ETN), published in December 2005, a copy of which is available in the Library, and is also available on the Department's website at
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4124041
	The ETN sets out the predicted contribution of each of the main groups of projects (workstreams). It also indicates the scale of expected contribution for each project. It does not specifically indicate individual project start dates.
	The ETN makes clear that the efficiency programme would continue to evolve during the delivery period with the inclusion of opportunities identified after 2005, and potential changes in the relative contributions of different workstreams and projects.
	We delayed republishing the ETN pending final agreements with HM Treasury and the National Audit Office regarding a few areas of measurement, which have now been agreed. The updated document is almost complete and will be published prior to our next planned reporting of progress in our autumn performance report in December. It will include project start dates. A copy of the final publication will also be placed on the Department's website and is in the Library.
	Contributing projects had delivered the following savings at the end of June 2007.
	
		
			  Workstream  Project  Contribution (£ million) 
			 Procurement Supply chain projects 970 
			 Procurement Pharmaceuticals 1625 
			 Productive time Process improvement 1733 
			 Productive time Input costs 272 
			 Productive time Time releasing 31 
			 Social care Local projects 518 
			 Corporate services Corporate services 58 
			 Public funding and regulation DH operating costs 57 
			 Public funding and regulation Arms length bodies 206 
			 Public funding and regulation Strategic health authority and primary care trust restructuring 54 
			 Total  5524 
			  Note: Some figures include in-year estimates of 2006-07 contribution that will be validated at the year end.

Departmental Health Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment package.

Ben Bradshaw: None of the officials in the Department or its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment packages.

Departmental ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make available the internet protocol addresses of computers in his Department used by  (a) special advisers,  (b) Ministers and  (c) press officers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not release IP addresses of its computers as this could facilitate an attack by someone with malicious intent.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to page 20 of his Department's resource accounts for 2006-07, which NHS organisations contributed to his Department's capital underspend in 2006-07 by delaying capital investment because they were in the process of financial recovery; and what the value of the capital underspend for each organisation was.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for strategic health authorities, working with organisations in their economy, to agree plans for both revenue and capital investment and, where appropriate, any plans needed to achieve financial recovery.

Dermatology

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of regional variations in financing of dermatology services for patients with skin disease; and whether regional funding formulae take into account any aspect of dermatological care provision.

Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the alleged regional variations in funding for dermatology services. The regional funding formula does not specifically take into account dermatological care provision.
	It is the responsibility of local health bodies to fund dermatological services, from their general allocations, to meet the needs of their local population.

Dermatology: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of  (a) the average and  (b) the maximum length of time a patient waited for a first dermatology outpatient appointment in (i) 2002 and (ii) 2007.

Ann Keen: The information is available in the following tables:
	
		
			  Median waiting times (weeks) for General Practitioner (GP) written referrals seen for dermatology in England in 2002 and 2007 
			 2002 8.12 
			 2007 5.68 
		
	
	
		
			   Maximum waiting times (weeks) for GP written referrals seen for dermatology in England in 2002 and 2007  Number of GP written referrals seen who waited for maximum waiting time for dermatology in England 
			 2002 26+ 27,347 
			 2007 17+ 240 
			  Note: The median is reported rather than the mean as the distribution of waiting times is skewed towards the right: the mean would be affected by outliers.  Source: Department of Health Form QMO8rs

Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide the data supporting Table 2.1 on page 11 of his Department's evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' remuneration (i) as presented and (ii) including agency costs.

Ann Keen: Table 1 shows data as presented in table 2.1 of the Department's evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' remuneration and table 2 shows the data including agency costs.
	
		
			  Table 1: Trends in the hospital and community health service (HCHS) paybill 
			  Million 
			   Doctors and Dentists' Review Body  NHS Pay Review Body  Total HCHS 
			 2003-04 6,142 20,825 26,967 
			 2004-05 7,077 24,425 31,502 
			 2005-06 7,571 26,443 34,015 
			 2006-07 7,930 27,497 35,428 
			  Notes: 1. Part of the 2004-05 growth is due to a transfer of pension responsibilities from the HM Treasury to Department of Health. 2. Figures exclude agency costs.  Source: Paybill reference: 071012 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Trends in the HCHS paybill including agency costs 
			  Million 
			   Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body  NHS Pay Review Body  Total HCHS  Total HCHS including agency costs 
			 2003-04 6,142 20,825 26,967 28,413 
			 2004-05 7,077 24,425 31,502 32,855 
			 2005-06 7,571 26,443 34,015 35,252 
			 2006-07 7,930 27,497 35,428 36,399 
			  Note : Part of the 2004-05 growth is due to a transfer of pension responsibilities from the HM Treasury to Department of Health.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places he expects will be provided for registrar group doctors in 2008, broken down by region and specialty.

Ann Keen: There will be over 18,000 training posts at levels ST1 to ST4 from August 2008, of which over 10,000 are already filled by applicants who successfully applied for run-through training places in 2007.
	The Department estimates that there will be approximately 8,000 training places advertised in 2008. Final details are being discussed with the Deaneries.
	Recruitment to specialty training will start on 5 January 2008 and we will publicise the details and breakdown prior to that. We intend to publish the information on the Modernising Medical Careers website for the benefit of applicants.

Domestic Accidents: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many home hazard assessments were performed by the East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Eastbourne Hospital: Cleaning Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Patient Environment Action Team scores for cleanliness were in Eastbourne district general hospital in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Patient Environmental Action Team (PEAT) scores for cleanliness did not exist until 2000. The first PEAT results were published in 2001.
	The following table shows the PEAT assessments for levels of cleanliness at Eastbourne district general hospital from 2001.
	
		
			   Rating 
			 2001 Green 
			 2002 Green 
			 2003 Green 
			 2004 Good 
			 2005 Good 
			 2006 Good 
			 2007 Good 
			  Note: From 2001-03 the scale was green, amber, red - green = good, amber = acceptable, red =poor. 
		
	
	From 2004 onwards the scale changed to a five-point one of excellent, good, acceptable, poor, and unacceptable.
	Since 2005, assessments have been undertaken by self-assessment with a percentage independently validated.

Fibromyalgia

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed as suffering from fibromyalgia; what progress has been made in identifying the causes of fibromyalgia and developing a treatment for it; what research his Department is supporting on fibromyalgia; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people living with fibromyalgia is not collected.
	We are not aware of any progress having been made on the causes of, or treatment for, fibromyalgia.
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's expenditure on health research has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a significant number concerned with fibromyalgia, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is not currently funding research specifically on fibromyalgia although some basic research currently being undertaken will help develop our understanding of the condition.

General Practitioners: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Hemel Hempstead constituency have not been able to register directly with a general practitioner's surgery and have had to register centrally since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect data on individuals who approach their local primary care trust (PCT) directly for help and advice on registration with a local general practitioner (GP) practice. Any individual is free to approach a GP practice near to where he/she is living and apply to join the practice's list of national health service patients. Where a patient is having trouble registering, a PCT can use its powers to allocate a person to a general practice's list of patients.

General Practitioners: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs in Eastbourne were invited by their primary care trusts to attend courses to update their skills in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.

Health Education: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on  (a) alcohol awareness and  (b) drug awareness campaigns in Copeland over the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
	The provision of services for drug and alcohol treatment in Copeland, including awareness campaigns, is commissioned through the Drug and Alcohol Action Team Partnership, using both ring- fenced Government grants and budgets and mainstream primary care trust and county council resources.

Health Services: Barnet

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of inward migration on health services in the Chipping Barnet constituency over the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: This is a matter for the local national health service. It is for the local health organisations to decide how best to serve their local communities.

Health Services: Scotland

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with a home address in Scotland were treated in NHS facilities in England in each year since 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. The data for 2006-07 are not yet available. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) and patients with Scottish postcodes who received treatment under the national health service in England. The data are for NHS hospitals in England, for the data years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Strategic health authority (SHA) of residence description 
			   All other SHA of residence  Scotland 
			  2004-05   
			 Total episodes 13,699,500 7,928 
			 Total patients 7,620,172 5,314 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Total episodes 14,416,891 8,368 
			 Total patients 7,882,214 5,406 
			  Notes: 1. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  2. Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 3. Patient counts Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell. 4. Health authority (HA) of residence This derived field contains the code for the HA in which the patient lived immediately before admission. Resident SHA (Re-SHA) is derived from the patient's postcode in the field home address. (This may not be the area where treatment took place). If home address is not recognised, Re-SHA may be derived from the health authority of residence notified by the hospital. 5. Primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner practice and SHA of general practitioner practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Impaired Hearing

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered as  (a) partially deaf and  (b) deaf in (i) 1985, (ii) 1990, (iii) 1995, (iv) 2000 and (v) 2007 in (1) South Tyneside, (2) the North East and (3) England.

Ivan Lewis: The following tables show the number of people registered as deaf or hard of hearing for the years available from 1986 to 2007 in England, the North East and South Tyneside, published by The Information Centre (IC) for health and social care.
	
		
			  Number of people registered as deaf from 1986 to 2007  England, as at 31 March 
			  Councils with Social Services Responsibilities  1986  1989  1992  1995  19982  2001  2004  2007 
			 England(1) 34,100 37,900 41,800 45,500 50,100 50,300 55,000 54,500 
			 North East(1) 2,250 2,350 2,850 2,600 2,550 (3)4.450 2,850 2,850 
			 South Tyneside 65 45 35 115 100 85 90 90 
			 (1) The England and Regional totals are estimates based on SSDA910 returns from councils with social services responsibilities. (2) In April 1996 the local authority structure within the North East region changed and Unitary Authorities were introduced, this does not affect the North East Region totals. (3) The large rise in the 2001 North East figure is explained by evidence provided by Durham local authority that the number of people registered as hard of hearing were also recorded as deaf in this year, this was corrected for the following collection but revised data was not provided.  Source:  IC triennial return SSDA910 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of people registered as hard of hearing from 1986 to 2007  England, as at 31 March 
			  Councils with Social Services Responsibilities  1986  1989  1992  1995 ( 2) 1998  2001  2004  2007 
			 England(1) 63,400 70,300 95,300 125,900 139,500 144,600 158,900 164,600 
			 North East(1) 5,150 7,100 11,450 13550 (3)13,200 13,600 15,150 14,750 
			 South Tyneside 125 90 135 225 180 155 120 90 
			 (1) The England and Regional totals are estimates based on SSDA910 returns from councils with social services responsibilities. (2) In April 1996 the local authority structure within the North East region changed and Unitary Authorities were introduced, this does not affect the North East Region totals. (3) Redcar and Cleveland were unable to provide data for 1998. Therefore the figure for the North East Region is the sum of the raw data and has not been estimated.  Source:  IC triennial return SSDA910

Hospitals: Telephones

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the children's wards on which charges are made for the use of telephones; and what the  (a) peak and  (b) off-peak rates for calls made are in each such ward.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is not party to the contracts which exist between the bedside televisions and telephones service providers and the individual national health service trusts.
	However, the Department understands that generally, where a bedside telephone is available, the charge to the outgoing caller is 10p per minute (20p minimum, in some cases).
	The charge to the incoming caller varies according to the service provider providing the service but in most cases it is 39p per minute off peak rate and 49p minute peak rate.
	Access to free televisions in day rooms and hospital payphones still exists as an alternative.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: Public Appointments

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness with which the former Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority carried out his functions; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Chief executives of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) are employees of, and appointed by, the authority itself. Over a number of years, the HFEA has established a highly respected reputation in the United Kingdom and internationally as a world-leading regulator in the field of embryology and assisted fertilisation.

Independent Reconfiguration Panel

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what date and for what reason the decision was taken to remove the requirement that one third of the members of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel be citizen and patient representatives;
	(2)  what form the annual review of the effectiveness and operation of his Department's Independent Reconfiguration Panel takes;
	(3)  how many staff are employed in the press office of his Department's Independent Reconfiguration Panel; broken down by payband;
	(4)  whether he or his predecessors have ever acted against the advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

Ann Keen: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) is the independent expert on NHS service change. The panel was established in 2003 to give advice to the Secretary of State on contested proposals for health service changes in England.
	The Secretary of State makes the final decision on any disputed proposal after reviewing a final report containing the IRP's recommendations in full, which are submitted to him before publication.
	The panel membership since it was set up has comprised of an equal balance of clinical, managerial and lay representation. There are no plans to change this. When the IRP considers it necessary, additional expert advice is also sought to inform the panel's work.
	The IRP holds an annual review meeting with senior representatives from the Department and publishes an annual review of its business. Business reviews for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available on the IRP website at www/irpanel.org.uk. A review of business for 2006-07 will be made available shortly.
	Media work on behalf of the IRP is contracted to the Central Office of Information (COI).
	The Secretary of State, as a matter of course, requests advice from the IRP on contested closures referred to him by local OSCs. To date the advice of the IRP has been accepted in full. Copies of all IRP reports are available at:
	www.irpanel.org.uk

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he plans to publish the national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic.

Dawn Primarolo: The national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic is due to be published shortly.

Lung Cancer: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement a National Lung Cancer Screening programme.

Ann Keen: The national health service cancer plan states that the Government will introduce new screening programmes where it is clear that screening would reduce mortality.
	There is no clear evidence that screening for lung cancer would save lives but the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) keeps lung cancer screening closely under review.
	There is an increasing weight of evidence in support of introducing a trial for the screening of lung cancer. The Department is leading work on behalf of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) to commission research on the feasibility of a United Kingdom trial of computerised tomography screening for lung cancer.
	The National Institute for Health Research health technology assessment programme has issued a commissioning brief, taking full account of the trials already under way in the United States and Europe, with a view to funding feasibility studies as soon as possible. If there is progression to an exploratory trial and then a full randomised controlled trial, these will take a number of years to complete.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust: Negligence

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of professional malpractice concerning employees of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust were reported to  (a) the General Medical Council,  (b) the Nursing and Midwifery Council,  (c) the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain,  (d) the Health Professions Council and  (e) other professional regulators by (i) NHS trusts, (ii) ambulance services, (iii) mental health organisations, (iv) primary care trusts and (v) members of the public in the period between April 2004 and September 2006.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect information on incidents of professional malpractice centrally, and is not directly involved in the disciplining of individual health care professionals.
	Information on incidents of professional malpractice concerning employees of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust could be sought from the individual regulatory bodies.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust Community Services teams' psychiatric emergency and assessment unit has opened.

Ann Keen: The North West Strategic Health Authority reports that the psychiatric emergency and assessment unit (unit) is partly open and currently accommodates the accident and emergency mental health liaison and bed management teams. Staff are currently being recruited to provide the full range of services for the people of Manchester including facilities to support patients for up to 12 hours while assessment and community support is put in place. It is expected that the full range of services will be available by the end of January 2008.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust: Mental Health Services

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust Community Service Team's psychiatric emergency assessment referral and liaison unit is expected to assess.

Ivan Lewis: We are informed that the planned capacity of the psychiatric emergency assessment review and liaison unit at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust is about 400 patients a year, but there is sufficient flexibility to manage up to 500 patients if needed.

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality of data available that relates to maternity services.

Ann Keen: Our major sources of information relating to maternity services are the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), and the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) data relating to the number of births registered. According to the NHS Information Centre, HES records 70-75 per cent. of all births while the ONS data are more accurate as a measure of the number of babies being born.
	The Information Centre for health and social care publishes annual maternity activity statistics which combines detailed HES information specific to maternity service with the registered birth information from ONS. Validation is applied to the data before publication. Copies of the NHS maternity statistics, England, 2004-05 are available in the Library.

Maternity Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future provision of antenatal services available to patients who are expecting a multiple birth;
	(2)  what guidance has been issued to maternity units to ensure that newborn twins, triplets or quads are cared for in the same  (a) unit and  (b) hospital.

Ann Keen: The Department has not issued any guidance specifically on the care of multiple-birth babies.
	Neonatal managed clinical networks have established a more structured collaborative approach to caring for newborn babies.
	While priority should be given to keeping mothers and their babies together, there are times when their individual needs take priority and that may mean that they are cared for in different hospitals. It is for networks to agree appropriate protocols, standards and pathways of care for use within their local area.

Maternity Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) midwives and  (d) health visitors receive in the care and treatment of patients expecting a multiple birth.

Ann Keen: The royal colleges are responsible for setting the curriculum for specialties to ensure that high educational standards are met in the interests of safe and responsible practice, assessment of training and programmes of education and training. They play a leading role in the delivery of high-quality patient care by setting standards of medical practice and promoting clinical excellence.
	The colleges are independent bodies who advise and work with Government, the public, patients and other professionals to improve health and health care. They have their own exacting standards and examinations, exercising a direct influence on the quality of training and the appointment of consultants in all medical specialties.
	Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service.
	Access to training is affected by a number of factors such as the availability of funding, whether staff can be released and the availability of appropriate training interventions, mentors and assessors. It would not be practical for the centre to be prescriptive on this.

Medicine: Education

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical schools train students without using cadavers; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. Teaching methods for medical students are the responsibility of the General Medical Council and the university medical schools.

MRSA

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA infections were recorded in each trust in each of the last six months.

Ann Keen: The mandatory surveillance system operated run by the Health Protection Agency provides data on the number of reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemias). All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report on all cases of bloodstream infections processed by their laboratories regarding when or how the infection was acquired.
	The number of MRSA bloodstream infections for NHS Acute Trusts for the first two quarters of 2007 is available at
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm

NHS: Dental Services

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental patients have been deregistered in each of the last five years in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England and  (c) Suffolk.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Information is available and regularly published on the total number of patients receiving NHS dental services.
	Under the old contractual arrangements which were in place until 2006, patients had to register with an individual dentist. Under the new contractual arrangements, patients do not have to be registered with a dentist to receive national health service care. The closest equivalent measure to "registration" is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') in a given area over a 24-month period, expressed as a percentage of the estimated population for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Annex A of "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England 31 March 2006" provides primary care trust (PCT) data on the numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March 1997 and each subsequent year to 31 March 2006. This is available in the library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07" report. Information is available at strategic health authority and PCT area in England. This report is available in the Library and is also available at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	Both reports have been published by the Information Centre for health and social care.
	This data show that access to dental services has remained broadly stable following the reforms in 2006.

NHS: Voluntary Organisations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy for every health trust in England to have a Compact champion to increase NHS involvement in local compacts; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to require primary care trusts, national health service trusts and foundations trusts to identify a Compact champion.
	The Department's commitment to the principles of the Compact on 1 December 2006 was refreshed in a joint statement I made with Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). The "Commissioning framework for health and well-being", published on 6 March 2007, reflects the principles of the Compact in positioning the third sector as an important contributor to the commissioning and provision of high-quality, responsive services, and promoting a fair playing field for all providers. The Department is committed to working with the Commissioner for the Compact, other Government Departments and third- sector voluntary and community organisations in the promotion of the Compact in the context of health and social care.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whom he intends to consult in respect of the renegotiation of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme;
	(2)  what meetings he or Ministers and officials from his Department have held with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on the reopened negotiations about the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme; whom they met on each occasion; and if he will publish a consultation document on the matter.

Dawn Primarolo: Since the Secretary of State's announcement in August that he intended to renegotiate the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, there have been a number of meetings at both ministerial and official level with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and branded pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry met the Secretary of State, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister for Competitiveness on 1 November.
	Negotiations on a new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will take place between the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on behalf of the branded pharmaceutical industry, and we will seek the views of other organisations as appropriate.
	The Government have no plans to publish a consultation document.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his objectives are in relation to the reopened negotiations on the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme; when he expects to publish the Government's substantive response to the Office of Fair Trading's market study on the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are seeking to negotiate a new voluntary agreement taking into account the principles set out in the Government's interim response to the Office of Fair Trading's report on the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme:
	delivering value for money;
	encouraging and rewarding innovation;
	assisting the uptake of new medicines; and
	providing stability, sustainability and predictability.

West Cumberland Hospital: Infectious Diseases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hospital-acquired infections have been diagnosed at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven in the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. However, West Cumberland hospital is part of the North Cumbria Acute Hospital NHS Trust for which the following information is available on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile and glycopeptides-resistant enterococci bloodstream infections from the mandatory surveillance scheme run by the Health Protection Agency.
	
		
			  Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection reports 
			  April to March each year  Number 
			 2001-02 26 
			 2002-03 27 
			 2003-04 22 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 26 
			 2006-07 18 
		
	
	
		
			  Clostridium difficile reports for patients aged 65 years and over 
			   Number 
			 January — December 2004 112 
			 January — December 2005 212 
			 January — December 2006 254 
			 January - June 2007 183 
		
	
	
		
			  Gl ycopeptide-resistant enterococci  bloodstream infection reports 
			  October to September each year  Number 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 1 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency, provisional data. 
		
	
	It is not known how many of these cases were acquired in hospital.